ENGLISH  PLEASVR 
GARDENS 


ROSE  STAND! SH  F 


/L  .*/—**/ 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE    GARDENS 


English   Pleasure   Gardens 


BY 
ROSE    STANDISH    NICHOLS 


WITH  ELEVEN  PLANS  DRAWN  BY  ALLEN  H.    COX,  AND  NEARLY 
THREE  HUNDRED  REPRODUCTIONS  OF  ORIGINAL  PHOTO- 
GRAPHS  AND  DRAWINGS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


Neto  $ork 
THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON  :  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,   LTD. 
1902 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1902, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 

Set  up  and  electrotyped  November,  1902. 


NortoooB  $ress 

J.  8.  Cuihlng  *  Co.  —  Berwick  ft  Smith 
Norwood  Mut  U.S.A. 


AUGUSTUS    SAINT-GAUDENS 


THE   ARGUMENT 

NATURE  supplies  the  living  material,  and  this  is  the 
best  part  of  a  garden ;  craft  can  vary  its  growth,  art  can 
accentuate  and  frame  its  charm,  but  its  ever  changing 
beauty  is  the  gift  of  God. 

In  the  world's  history  horticulture  as  a  craft  has  never 
before  reached  its  present  state  of  perfection,  and  has 
never  included  such  an  amazing  variety  of  trees,  shrubs, 
and  plants.  The  scientific  spirit  of  the  age  has  im- 
pelled botanists  to  seek  new  specimens  at  the  ends  of 
the  earth  and  to  naturalize  the  most  far-fetched  exotics 
on  English  soil.  But  if  all  this  wealth  of  vegetation, 
indigenous  and  outlandish,  is  to  answer  other  than 
practical  and  scientific  purposes,  it  must  be  taken  in 
hand  by  art  as  well  as  by  craft  and  science.  To  give 
the  utmost  pleasure  to  people  neither  horticulturists 
nor  botanists,  a  collection  of  plants,  forming  a  garden, 
should  be  treated  as  an  artistic  composition. 

Unfortunately,  garden  design  has  not  advanced  at  the 
same  rapid  pace  as  horticulture  and  botany;  in  fact, 
until  within  the  last  few  years  it  has  gone  backward 
rather  than  forward  in  England,  ever  since  the  period 


viii  THE    ARGUMENT 

of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  although  then  as  now  it 
was  the  last  of  the  arts  to  succeed.  As  Bacon  wisely 
predicts,  "  Man  shall  ever  see  that  when  ages  grow  to 
Civility  and  Elegancy:  Men  come  to  Build  Stately 
sooner  than  to  Garden  Finely:  As  if  Gardening  were 
the  Greater  Perfection." 

Ornamental  gardening  for  centuries  in  Japan  has  been 
reduced  (rather  monotonously  frorii  our  point  of  view) 
to  an  almost  exact  science ;  in  a  different  form  it  was 
practised  as  a  fine  art  in  classic  Greece  and  Rome,  was 
revived  throughout  Europe  at  the  time  of  the  Renais- 
sance, and  still  continues  to  be  studied  in  France  along 
the  same  lines  under  the  head  of  architecture.  But  in 
England  to-day  it  is  not  generally  understood  as  more 
than  a  craft.  Theories  have  been  advanced  to  raise  its 
standard,  but  in  such  a  partisan  spirit  and  from  such  a 
one-sided  standpoint  that  they  have  accomplished  little. 
Each  Englishman  who  attempts  to  explain  how  a  gar- 
den should  be  planned  and  planted  seems  to  have 
agreed  to  differ  from  every  other  expert  who  has  pre- 
viously expounded  his  theory  on  the  subject.  If  two 
garden-designers  think  alike,  the  fact  has  hardly  been 
acknowledged,  although  it  may  be  surmised  that  their 
differences  are  more  apparent  than  real. 

The  result  of  this  divergence  of  opinion  is  that  scat- 
tered over  England  are  a  great  variety  of  gardens  almost 
impossible  to  classify.  Some  are  planted  as  if  upon 


THE  ARGUMENT  ix 

untrodden  Alpine  peaks  remote  from  every  trace  of 
civilization,  although  in  reality  a  sumptuous  mansion 
is  not  ten  feet  away.  Others  are  the  perfection  of 
"  mosai'culture,"  a  term  invented  by  a  Frenchman  to 
denote  the  most  complicated  plant  patchwork,  forming 
the  last  word  of  floricultural  artificiality. 

Between  these  two  extremes  are  many  delightful  gar- 
dens, neither  imitations  of  a  wilderness  nor  rigidly  con- 
ventional, where  plants  can  grow  freely  and  people  are 
not  out  of  place.  Often  they  have  been  designed  with 
less  rhyme  than  reason,  but  are  only  more  charming 
because  they  are  useful  as  well  as  ornamental,  to  be 
"lived  in"  as  well  as  "looked  on."  Unlike  the  great 
French  gardens,  they  are  not  brilliant  intellectual 
achievements  laboriously  constructed  to  form  a  vista 
from  the  windows  of  a  palatial  chateau  and  to  afford  a 
gay  crowd  of  courtiers  a  parade-ground ;  nor  have  they 
the  melancholy  beauty  of  those  early  Italian  villas  whose 
romantic  effect  has  become  intensified  by  neglect  and 
decay ;  at  present  in  their  perfection  the  English  gardens 
are  in  appearance  flourishing,  of  moderate  dimensions 
and  unassuming  style.  Their  homelike  atmosphere 
gives  them  individuality  and  a  charm  more  endearing 
than  that  of  other  more  pretentious  performances.  Of 
many  of  the  simplest  and  most  pleasing  of  these  no 
examples  will  be  given,  either  because  their  pecul- 
iar attraction  is  due  to  their  skilful  adaptation  to,  a 


x  THE  ARGUMENT 

particular  situation  and  their  spirit  only  could  be  re- 
produced elsewhere,  or  because  they  belong  to  a  class 
existing  by  every  country  roadside,  of  which  the  general 
scheme  is  too  familiar  to  require  explanation.  Others 
have  been  excluded  as  being  too  consequential  and 
elaborate  to  answer  any  but  princely  requirements. 

Nothing  can  be  prettier  than  a  cottage  garden,  or  in 
its  way  perhaps  more  magnificent  than  Chatsworth,  but 
neither  of  these  comes  within  the  scope  of  this  work. 
One  is  too  practical,  the  other  too  ornate. 

The  origin  and  early  growth  of  all  gardens  are  purely 
conjectural,  but  in  their  first  stages  those  in  England 
were  not  probably  dissimilar  to  those  in  other  parts 
of  uncivilized  Europe.  In  the  Middle  Ages,  after  the 
Norman  Conquest,  they  developed  certain  distinctive 
features.  Later  they  passed  more  or  less  under  the 
influence  of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  French,  Dutch, 
and  Chinese  styles,  and  to  understand  them  it  is  neces- 
sary to  understand  the  characteristics  of  these  different 
schools. 

As  their  connection  with  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  day  is  even  more  intimate  than  that  of  architecture 
proper,  to  realize  their  purpose  one  must  be  able  to 
picture  them  peopled  with  the  characters,  many  of  them 
historic,  who  made  them  what  they  were  in  their  prime. 

The  celebrated  gardens  are  filled  with  historic  asso- 
ciations. Without  being  able  to  imagine  the  life  of  the 


THE  ARGUMENT  xi 

French  court  in  the  eighteenth  century,  who  can  appre- 
ciate Versailles?  It  only  exists  as  a  background  for 
artifice  and  artificiality,  for  elegant  ladies,  their  pow- 
dered hair  erected  a  la  Pompadour,  their  hoop-skirts 
sweeping  the  broad  paths,  coquettishly  shielding  their 
eyes  with  their  painted  fans,  and  gossiping  with  the 
gentlemen  in  attendance  about,  perhaps,  the  recent  dis- 
appearance of  the  king  and  the  de  Montespan  down  a 
covered  alley  set  aside  for  the  royal  flirtations. 

Plans  and  photographs  can  only  partially  show  the 
form  of  these  gardens,  words  are  still  more  inadequate 
to  express  their  spirit,  but  perhaps  some  suggestion  can 
be  given  of  their  arrangement  and  their  charm. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  so  many  people,  that 
the  author  cannot  even  begin  to  name  her  indebtedness. 
Garden-owners  everywhere  have  thrown  open  their  gates 
with  a  hospitality  which  has  not  been  unappreciated, 
while  facts  have  been  obtained  with  and  without  per- 
mission from  almost  every  writer  about  gardens,  whether 
living  or  dead.  For  all  these  opportunities  to  add  to 
her  stock  of  information  she  can  only  say  that  she  is 
truly  grateful. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I 

PACK 

CLASSIC  PLEASURE  GROUNDS      ........        i 


CHAPTER   II 
MONASTIC  GARDENS    ..........      45 

CHAPTER   III 
THE  MEDIAEVAL  PLEASAUNCE      ........      66 

CHAPTER  IV 
TUDOR  GARDENS          ..........    101 

CHAPTER  V 
THE  ELIZABETHAN  FLOWER-GARDEN  .....        .        .        .128 

CHAPTER  VI 
GARDENS  OF  THE  STUARTS          ........     167 

CHAPTER  VII 
FRENCH  FASHIONS        ..........    198 

CHAPTER  VIII 
ITALIAN  VILLA  GARDENS    .........    232 

CHAPTER  IX 

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY  EXTREMES        .......  '  249 

xiii 


xiv  CONTENTS  — LIST   OF   PLANS 

CHAPTER  X 


FACE 


MODERN  GARDENS 278 

APPENDIX 295 

BIBLIOGRAPHY         .....         .         .         .        .         .  301 

INDEX  309 


LIST   OF    PLANS 

FACING  PAGE 

NEWSTEAD  ABBEY  (Chapter  II) 64 

PENSHURST  (Chapter  III) .        -96 

LONGLEAT  (Chapter  IV) •         •         •         .124 

MONTACUTE  (Chapter  IV) I27 

LEVENS  (Chapter  V)      ...  164 

DRAYTON  HOUSE  (Chapter  VI) *94 

MELBOURNE  (Chapter  VII) .230 

WILTON  (Chapter  VIII) .        .     234 

Bo  WOOD  (Chapter  X) 2g2 

LONGFORD  CASTLE  (Chapter  X) 292 

APPENDIX 
HAM  HOUSE  •        •        •        •    299 


LIST   OF    FULL-PAGE    ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Terrace,  Annesley  ........        Frontispiece 

FACING   PAGE 

Peristyle,  House  of  the  Vettii .         -25 

Wall-painting  of  a  Garden,  Villa  Livia 28 

Cloisters,  St.  John  Lateran,  Rome          .         .         .         .         .         .         .       47 

Spanish  Garden-courts  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .       52 

Gothic  Fountain.     From  an  early  tapestry      .         .         .         .         .         -54 

Gothic  Fountain  in  the  Cloister-garth,  Newstead  Abbey          ...       60 

Eagle  Pond,  Newstead  Abbey 62 

Castle  with  Terrace  Walks.  From  the  "  Roman  de  la  Rose  "  .  .68 
Tent  and  "  Flowery  Mede."  From  an  early  tapestry  ....  74 
Bourgeois  Garden.  From  the  "  Profits  de  Rustican  "  .  .  .  .80 
Castle  Garden.  From  a  picture  by  Dierick  Bouts  ....  82 

Pleasaunce.  From  the  "  Roman  de  la  Rose  "  .....  86 
Garden  Scenes.  From  the  "  Roman  de  la  Rose  "  ....  92 

Chateau  of  Gaillon.     From  "  Les  Plus  Beaux  Bastiments  de  France  "     .       94 

Parterre,  Penshurst 98 

Terrace,  Haddon  Hall    ..........     102 

Grass  Alley,  Elvaston    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .104 

Garden,  Longleat 123 

Conservatory,  Longleat .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .126 

The  Hall,  Bradford-on-Avon 128 

Topiary  Gardens,  Levens       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .132 

Terraces,  St.  Catherine's  Court      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     139 

Grass  Steps,  St.  Catherine's  Court          .         .         .         .         .         .         .142 

Garden.     From  Vredeman's  "  Hortorum  Viridariorumque "    .         .         .     144 

Cleeve  Prior  Manor 154 

Garden.  From  Vredeman's  "  Hortorum  Viridariorumque"  .  .  .156 
Garden.  From  Vredeman's  "  Hortorum  Viridariorumque "  .  .  .  158 

The  Parterre,  Drayton  House 168 

Botanical  Garden,  Oxford       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         I     170 


xvi  FULL-PAGE    ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING   PACK 

Old-fashioned  Garden,  Hatfield 172 

Parterre,  Hatfield 172 

Circular  Garden.  From  the  "  Systema  Horticulturae  "  .  .  .  .184 
I.  Terrace,  Annesley.  2.  Gateway,  Hampton  Court  .  .  .  .186 
I.  Sun-dial,  Hampton  Court.  2.  Pleached  Alley,  Melbourne  .  .188 

Fountains.     From  the  "  Systema  Horticulture " 193 

The  Parterre,  Drayton  House         ........     196 

A  French  Renaissance  Garden       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .198 

Gardening.     From  an  old  manuscript    .     'v  .         .         .         .         .         .     200 

French  Engravings  of  Gardens       ........     202 

Bosquet  des  D6mes,  Versailles       ........     204 

The  Labyrinth,  Versailles 206 

Garden-house,  Holme  Lacey  .........     208 

Trees  and  Water,  Bramham  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .210 

Park,  Melbourne    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .212 

Evergreen  Arches,  Brockenhurst 216 

Gateway,  Brockenhurst .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .222 

Steps  and  Gateway,  Brockenhurst  ........     224 

Fountain  and  Statuary,  Brockenhurst     .......     226 

I.   A  Surprise  Fountain.     2.    Cedars  of  Lebanon,  Wilton       .         .         .     228 

Fountain,  Villa  Petraja 232 

Italian  Garden,  Castle  Ashby 236 

I.   The  Villa  Lante.     2.    Garden-scene.     From  a  tapestry     .         .         .     238 
Casino,  Wilton       ...........     240 

Garden,  Wilton      ...........     242 

Palladian  Bridge,  Wilton 244 

Italian  Garden,  Shrublands 246 

Terrace,  Bowood 248 

Pavilion,  Audley  End 256 

Gardens,  Gunnersbury  ..........     268 

Picturesque  Planting.  Ascott 278 

Modern  Garden,  Newstead  Abbey          .......     282 

Parterre,  Castle  Ashby 284 

i.   Fountain,  The  Orchards.     2.    Park,  Newstead  Abbey       .         .         .286 

Fountains  at  Brockenhurst  and  Ascott 288 

Kitchen  Garden,  Newstead  Abbey          .......     290 


ILLUSTRATIONS   IN  THE  TEXT 


Asshur-bani-pal  feasting  under  an  Arbour  (Head-piece)  i 

A  Greek  Pillar  Fountain  (Initial  letter) I 

Romano-British  Pavement  excavated  in  Leicestershire   ....  4 

An  Egyptian  Pool.     From  a  mural  painting 8 

Garland  Weavers.     From  a  Greek  vase 14 

Sketch  Plan  of  a  Greek  Exedra 15 

A  Concave  Sun-dial  in  the  British  Museum    .         .         .         .         .  17 

A  Potted  Plant 19 

A  Pompeian  Table 20 

A  Pattern  for  Clipped  Box.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "    .  22 

A  Pompeian  Fountain  ..........  24 

A  Pompeian  Bust 25 

Fountain  and  Arbour.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "    .         .26 
Geometric  Pattern  for  a  Flower-bed.      From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia 

Poliphili "...........  27 

A  Rustic  Enclosure 28 

An  Exedra  on  the  Street  of  the  Tombs,  Pompeii    .....  32 

A  Grotto  and  a  Pergola.     From  a  recently  discovered  wall-painting       .  32 

A  Fountain  surrounded  by  Domestic  Animals.    From  a  Pompeian  mosaic  34 
Three-headed  Hermes  from  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "       .         -37 

A  Form  of  Tree-worship        .........  37 

A  Hermes  beside  a  Basin  of  Water        .......  38 

A  Clipped  Tree.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "  39 

A  Man  of  Clipped  Box.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "          .  39 

The  Rhodian  Rose.     From  a  coin          .......  41 

The  Cretan  Labyrinth.     From  a  coin     .......  42 

A  Fountain.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "          ...  43 

A  Portico.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "     ....  44 

A  Monastic  Cloister-garth      .........  45 


xviii  ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   TEXT 

PAGE 

A  Monk  reading  (Initial  letter) 45 

A  Circular  Garden  and  Well.     From  an  early  manuscript       ...      46 
Cloisters  and  Fountain,  Monreale  near  Palermo     .....       52 

Court  of  the  Lions  in  the  Alhambra 53 

A  Gothic  Well 54 

A  Well  in  the  Certosa  near  Florence 55 

An  Early  Type  of  Fountain 56 

The  Grave  of  Byron's  Dog,  Newstead  Abbey 62 

Leaden  Statue  of  a  Faun.  Newstead  Abbey    .  v 64 

Leaden  Statue,  Newstead  Abbey 65 

Garland  Makers  in  a  Pleasaunce  (Head-piece) 66 

Gothic  Fountain  (Initial  letter) 66 

Chess-players  in  a  Garden.     From  the  "  Romance  of  Alexander  "  .         .       82 

Two  Figures  beside  a  Trelliswork  Enclosure 90 

Maugis  and  "  La  Belle  Oriande."    From  an  early  illumination        .         .       91 
A  Seat,  an  Arbour,  and  a  Gallery.     From  an  early  illumination      .         .       92 

A  Gothic  Fountain 93 

A  Clipped  Tree.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "    .         .         -95 

Diana's  Pool,  Penshurst 99 

Montacute  (Head-piece) 101 

A  Potted  Plant  (Initial  letter) 101 

Eyam  Hall,  Derbyshire  .........     102 

A  Battlemented  Doorway       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -103 

Garden  Doorway,  Canons  Ashby 104 

Pond  Garden,  Hampton  Court 106 

Oblong  Garden.     From  the  "  Gardener's  Labyrinth  "     ....     108 

Dove-cot,  Grafton  Manor       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .no 

Dove-cot.  Milton   .        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .no 

Garden  Doorway,  Risley        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     1 1 1 

Square  Garden.     From  the  " Gardener's  Labyrinth  "     .         .         .         .     in 

The  Four  Quarters  of  a  Knot 113 

Patterns  for  Knots 114 

A  Clipped  Tree.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "    .         .         .115 

A  Coronet  of  Clipped  Yew,  Elvaston 116 

A  Pleached  Alley,  Hatfield 117 

A  Garden  Repast.     From  the  "  Gardener's  Labyrinth  "          .         .         .117 


ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   TEXT  xix 


PAGE 


An  Armillary  Sphere,  Elvaston 119 

A  Pavilion,  Longleat 122 

A  Garden-court.     Designed  by  Vredeman  de  Vries  (Head-piece)  .        .128 

Two  Elizabethan  Figures  (Initial  letter) 128 

A  Lion  of  Carved  Stone.     The  Hall,  Bradford-on-A von         .        .        .     129 
Garden-gates,  Penshurst         .         .         .         .         .         .        .         .         .130 

Gateway,  Packwood 131 

A  Circular  Dove-cot,  Harleston      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .136 

Terrace  Steps,  Shrublands     .........     140 

Doorway,  Bramshill       ..........     140 

Doorway,  Oundle,  Northamptonshire 141 

Terrace  and  Bowling-green,  Bramshill 141 

Covered  Walk,  Shrublands    .........     143 

Garden.     Designed  by  Vredeman  de  Vries 144 

Garden-house,  Packwood 145 

Garden-house,  Packwood       .........     146 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Packwood  .......     146 

Knots.     From  the  "  Country  Housewife's  Garden  "        .         .         .         .149 

Knots.     From  the  "  Country  Housewife's  Garden "        ....     149 

The  Twelve  Apostles,  Cleeve  Prior  Manor     .         .         .         .         .         .     153 

A  Buttress  of  Clipped  Yew,  Arley 154 

Fountain,  Trinity  College,  Cambridge 155 

Sun-dial,  Shrublands     .         .        .        .         .         .         .         .         .         •     157 

Sun-dial         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  157 

A  Knot  and  a  Maze.     From  the  "  Country  Housewife's  Garden"  .         .158 
Bowling-alley,  Brockenhurst .         .         .         .         .         .        .         .         .     159 

Old  Orangery,  Kew  Gardens  (Head-piece)     .         .         .         .         .         .167 

Sun-dial  (Initial  letter) 167 

Doorway,  Highlow  Hall,  near  Hathersage 168 

Fishing-lodge,  Beckett,  Berkshire  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .169 

Sun-dial,  Drayton  House        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .170 

Pavilion,  Hatfield  .         .         .         .         .        .         .        .        .         .         .172 

Pavilion,  Hatfield 172 

Side-door  to  a  Garden  .         .         . 174 

Terrace,  Brympton         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .        .        .     179 

Knots.     From  the  "Jardinier  Hollandais"    ......     181 


xx  ILLUSTRATIONS   IN  TEXT 

PAGE 

A  Leaden  Statue  of  a  Shepherd,  Canons  Ashby 182 

Plan  of  Garden.     From  Rea's  "  Systema  Horticulture  "          .         .         .185 

Gateway,  Chichester 186 

Flower-pot  Gate-post,  Hampton  Court 187 

Gateway,  Packwood .187 

An  Alcove,  Arley 188 

A  Dutch  Arbour 188 

Garden-seat,  Haddon  Hall     ....  ....     189 

Garden-seat,  Canons  Ashby  .         .         . 189 

Octagonal  Garden-house,  Bramshill 190 

Octagonal  Garden-house,  Bradford-on-Avon 190 

Sun-dial,  Trinity  College 191 

Sun-dial,  Packwood 191 

Fountain,  Hampton  Court 192 

Fountain,  Bowood          .         .         .         .         .         .         .        .         .         .192 

Garden-house,  Packwood       .         .         .         .         .         .         .        .  193 

Garden-house,  Packwood        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -194 

Wrought-iron  Grille,  Drayton  House      .         .         .         .         .         .  195 

Gateway,  Drayton  House 196 

Stone  Steps,  Drayton  House 196 

Sun-dial,  Brympton        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  197 

Gateway,  Kew  Gardens          .         .        .         .         .         .         .         .  197 

Gates  by  Tijou  (Head-piece) 198 

A  Vase  (Initial  letter) 198 

Leaden  Urn,  Penshurst 207 

Cupid,  Melbourne 208 

Wrought-iron  Gate,  by  Tijou,  Hampton  Court       .....     209 

Sun-dial,  Hampton  Court       .........     209 

Bird-cage,  Melbourne    ..........     210 

Sun-dial,  Levens    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .211 

Gateway,  Kew  Gardens 212 

Leaden  Busts,  Elvaston .     228 

Cupid,  Melbourne 43 1 

Forecourt  Wall,  Ham  House  (Head-piece) 232 

A  Fountain  (Initial  letter)     .........     232 

Fountain  by  Verrocchio,  Palazzo  Vecchio,  Florence       .        .        .        -233 


ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   TEXT  xxi 


PAGE 


A  Venetian  Garden  Pavilion 233 

Statue  of  Boy  with  Dolphin  for  a  Fountain    ......  234 

An  Arbour.     From  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "  .         .         .         .  234 

Doorway,  Villa  Madama         .........  235 

Doorway,  Cambridge 236 

Fountain,  Alhambra       ..........  237 

Shrub  in  Ornamented  Box.     "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "  .         .         .  237 

Caryatides,  Villa  Farnese,  Caprarola       .......  238 

Gateway,  Shrublands     ..........  239 

Gateway,  Castle  Ashby           .........  240 

Column,  Wilton 240 

Trees  and  Seat,  Wilton 241 

Vase,  Wilton          ...........  241 

An  Exedra,  Wilton        ..........  242 

Amorini,  Wilton    ...........  242 

Holbein  Pavilion,  Wilton       .........  243 

Palladian  Bridge,  Wilton 244 

Vase,  Shrublands  ...........  244 

Stone  Seat,  Shrublands           .........  245 

Archway,  Castle  Ashby 245 

Vase,  Castle  Ashby 246 

Rosary  with  Pergola,  Castle  Ashby         .......  246 

Rustic  Pergola,  Castle  Ashby          ........  247 

Statuary,  Longford  Castle       .........  247 

Vase,  Longford  Castle 248 

Pergola,  Longford  Castle        .........  248 

Temple  at  Tivoli.     From  a  painting  by  Claude  Lorraine  (Head-piece)   .  249 

Romantic  Landscape  (Initial  letter)        .......  249 

An  Eighteenth-century  Sun-dial 250 

A  Dutch  Arbour    .         ..........  250 

A  Dutch  Arbour    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .251 

Classic  Vase,  Elvaston  ..........  252 

Temple  of  y£olus,  Kew 267 

Temple  of  the  Sun,  Kew 268 

Gothic  Dairy,  Hoddesdon 274 

Temple,  Kew 277 


xxii  ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   TEXT 

Garden-house  and  Wall,  The  Orchards  (Head-piece)     .        .        . 
Hermes  and  Fence  (Initial  letter) 
Doorway,  Shrublands 

Topiary  Work,  Melbourne 2^4 

Archway  of  Yew,  Brockenhurst 287 

Sun-dial,  Penshurst 288 

Sun-dial,  Old  Place,  Lingfield 288 

Pond  in  North  Garden,  Barrow  Court 29° 

Gateway  and  Terrace,  Barrow  Court      ....,,...-  291 

Pavilion,  Barrow  Court 29* 

Garden-house,  Castle  Ashby 292 

Seat  of  Italian  Design,  Shrublands 293 

Forecourt,  Ham  House 299 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE    GARDENS 


English   Pleasure  Gardens 


CHAPTER    I 

CLASSIC    PLEASURE   GROUNDS 

T  is  not  such  a  far  cry  as  might  be 
imagined  from  the  famous  pleasure 
grounds  of  remote  antiquity  to  the  gar- 
dens, both  "wild"  and  "formal,"  in 
England  at  the  present  day.  Our  en- 
vironment more  closely  resembles  the  luxurious  sur-  Theconnec- 

t  ion  1)6- 

roundings  of  our  Roman  conquerors  than  the  comfortless  tween  the 
domains  of   our  own  forefathers  after  they  were  freed  present, 
from   the   Roman  yoke  and   had  lost  sight  of    Roman 
culture.    Without  much  effort  we  modern  Anglo-Saxons 
in  England  or  America  can  picture  ourselves  revelling 
in  an  elegant   Pompeian  villa  or  in   an  airy  Athenian 
peristyle ;  but  we  should  dread  being  doomed  to   suf- 
focate in  a  smoky  ancestral  hut  or  to  be  cooped  up  in 


2  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

the  thick,  almost  windowless  walls  of  an  Anglo-Norman 
fortalice.  Precedents  not  ours  by  direct  inheritance 
have  become  so  by  adoption. 

classic  ^Esthetically,  we  are  still   held  fast  by  classic  tradi- 

ments.  tions,  taught  the  Britons  by  the  Romans  early  in  the 
Christian  era,  degraded,  if  not  utterly  destroyed,  during 
the  Dark  Ages,  but  revived  at  the  time  of  the  Renais- 
sance. To  see  our  sense  of  beauty  expressed  in  perfect 
form,  we  continue  to  look  back  to  the  masterpieces  of 
the  Greeks  and  Romans.  It  is  to  them  that  we  turn 
now  to  find  the  derivation  of  many  charming  details 
in  addition  to  the  general  plan  of  the  formal  garden. 
Hundreds,  almost  thousands,  of  years  ago  the  classic 
garden  makers  realized  our  ideals,  combining  architecture 
with  sculpture  and  horticulture  to  produce  gardens  un- 
surpassed in  the  perfection  of  their  design.  A  lack 
of  our  variety  and  abundance  of  flowers  was  their  only 
deficiency. 

A  knowledge  of  the  arts  and  sciences  spread  with  the 
Thedissemi-  growth  of   the   Roman   provinces    throughout    Europe. 

nation  of 

Roman  Civilization  made  great  progress  in  Great  Britain  after 
the  conquest  of  Claudius ;  architecture  and  horticulture 
were  practised  from  both  an  ornamental  and  a  useful 
standpoint.  Villas,  or  country  seats,  including  extensive 
residences  with  spacious  courtyards,  vineyards,  orchards, 
kitchen  and  pleasure  gardens,  were  laid  out  all  over 
the  province.  These  constructions  were  similar  to  those 


CLASSIC    PLEASURE   GROUNDS  3 

relinquished  by  the  Romans  in  Italy,  and  hardly  less 
carefully  finished,  though  on  a  somewhat  smaller  scale. 
In  Great  Britain,  the  contemporary  description  of 
Tacitus  relates  that,  even  before  the  close  of  the  first 
century,  there  were  plantations  of  luxuriant  vegetation. 
The  olive  and  the  vine  seem  to  have  been  the  only 
fruits  for  which  he  considered  the  climate  unsuitable. 
Later,  however,  there  were  vineyards,  and,  when  the  Horticulture 

under  the 

Romans  were  at  the  height  of  their  power,  almost  every  Romans  in 
kind  of  fruit  now  cultivated  in  Northern  Europe,  with 
the  exception  of  pine-apples,  gooseberries,  currants,  and 
raspberries,  is  said  to  have  flourished.  Thirty-eight 
Anglo-Saxon  and  English  names  of  plants  are  dis- 
tinctly of  Roman  origin,  among  them  the  rose,  lily, 
poppy,  mallow,  laurel,  mulberry,  and  feverfew. 

Unfortunately,  no  equally  interesting  records  of  the 
architecture  in  Britanno-Roman  gardens  have  been 
handed  down  to  us.  But  we  can  form  some  idea  of 
the  extent  of  ground  covered  with  lavishly  ornamented 
plantations  from  the  general  outlines  of  the  villas  and 
from  the  elegance  of  the  architectural  remains  exca- 
vated on  their  sites.  Statues,  vases,  and  fountains  of 
marble  and  bronze,  almost  as  fine  as  those  in  Italy,  have 
not  infrequently  been  discovered.  Numbers  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  these  relics  are  on  exhibition  in  the  Brit- 
ish Museum  and  elsewhere.  Others  remain  in  situ. 

Mosaic   pavements,  formerly  ornamenting  the  living 


4  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

rooms,  the  peristyle,  and  other  courtyards,  are  found  in 
excellent  condition.  These  were  composed  of  tessella,  or 
small  cubes  of  coloured  marble,  forming  geometrical  de- 


signs  or  depicting  scenes  from  everyday  life  or  mythol- 
ogy.    Such  mosaics  were  called  opera  segmentata,  opus 
Mosaic         musivum  and  musaceum.    The  illustration  shows  a  good 
payei  ent.     specimen,  which  was  unearthed  near  Leicester  in  1754. 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  5 

It  is  Graeco-Roman  in  style,  like  most  of  the  Romano- 
British  art.  The  labyrinth  or  fret  border  enclosing  the 
design  is  of  very  ancient  origin,  and  may  be  intended 
to  suggest  the  celebrated  labyrinth  of  Crete.  On  other 
mosaics  the  story  of  Theseus,  Ariadne,  and  the  Minotaur 
has  been  obviously  reproduced.  The  axe  of  Lycurgus 
also  forms  part  of  many  designs.  Modern  repro- 
ductions of  these  mosaics  are  commonly  placed  in  the 
hallways  of  houses  and  on  the  thresholds  of  shops; 
even  more  appropriately  they  might  be  made  to  pave 
the  paths,  or  to  inlay  the  basin  of  a  fountain  in  a 
formal  garden. 

To  obtain  a  more  complete  picture  of  the  Romano- 
British  gardens  we  must  return  to  their  prototypes  in  mutabiiity 
Italy,  and  thence  inquire  into  the  gardens  of  those  coun- 
tries  which  inspired  Rome  during  the  centuries  before 
Christ.  Horticulture  in  primitive  Italy,  as  in  other  un- 
civilized countries,  was  at  its  beginning  merely  intended 
for  practical  purposes.  But  autres  temps,  autres  mceurs. 
Gradually  the  Latin  word  hortus,  applied  in  the  days 
of  republican  simplicity  to  a  field  of  vegetables,  was 
stretched  to  signify  in  the  plural,  at  the  time  of  the 
luxurious  emperors,  pleasure  gardens  of  the  utmost 
magnificence.  At  this  latter  period  the  source  of  every 
new  form  of  Roman  art,  including  garden-architecture, 
was  Greece,  which  in  its  turn  had  received  inspiration 
from  Egypt,  Persia,  and  Assyria. 


6  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

A  religious  significance  was  attached  to  almost  every 

feature    in    these    pre-Christian    gardens.       Beasts    and 

birds  might  be  the  living  incarnations  of  the  gods  for 

whom  they  stood   as    representatives,  while   trees   and 

Religious      flowers  were  revered  as  godlike  attributes.      In  Egypt, 

pre-chris-      the  cat  was  as  closely  connected  with  Isis,  as  the  peacock 

t ian  2fU> 

dene.  in  Italy  with  Juno,  or  doves  in  ,vGreece  with  Aphrodite. 

Tree  worship  was  observed  in  all  these  countries.  Count 
Goblet  d'Alviella  says  in  the  "  Migration  des  Symboles," 
that  the  sacred  tree  as  it  migrated  from  country  to 
country  was  changed  into  that  which  was  most  precious 
in  the  estimation  of  the  people.  Thus  the  date-palm  in 
Chaldea,  the  vine  or  the  fir  tree  in  Assyria,  the  lotus 
in  Egypt,  and  the  fig  in  India  were  regarded  with  the 
utmost  veneration. 

Egyptian  gardens  are  the  earliest  of  which  definite 
records  remain.  Pictures  and  inscriptions,  dating  far 
back  in  the  centuries  before  Christ,  show  that  every 
Egyptian  Egyptian  dwelling  was  built  around  a  series  of  court- 
coorts.  yards  containing  vegetation  both  useful  and  ornamen- 
tal. Originally,  a  row  of  trees  along  the  inner  wall 
of  the  building  shaded  it  and  the  enclosed  quadrangle. 
Later,  the  tree  trunks  gave  place  to  solid  columns, 
and  the  overhanging  branches  to  projecting  rafters, 
which  resulted  in  a  general  effect  foreshadowing 
the  Greek  peristyle  and  the  monastic  cloisters.  In 
the  centre  of  the  quadrangle  was  a  fountain  or  a 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  7 

basin  for  fish,  where  many-coloured  lotuses  rose  above 
the  level  of  the  water.  Grape-vines  and  ivy,  entwin- 
ing the  columns  and  clustering  over  the  rafters,  formed 
a  shady  tunnel  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  area,  while 
blossoming  plants,  set  out  symmetrically,  brightened 
the  inner  space.  Roses,  jessamine,  myrtle,  and  cistus, 
growing  directly  in  the  soil  or  cultivated  in  flower-pots, 
presented  a  simple  conception  of  a  floral  parterre. 

Secluded  in  these  courtyards  the  ladies  of  the  harem 
loitered,  with  their  pet  monkeys  for  playmates,  under 
the  shady  colonnade  or  beside  the  cool  fountain,  then 
as  now  jealously  guarded  from  any  contact  with  the  Reason  for 
outer  world.  At  a  very  early  period,  therefore,  the  idea 
of  seclusion  came  to  be  connected  with  Oriental  pleas- 
ure grounds,  as  it  was  later  with  those  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans,  with  the  mediaeval  pleasaunce,  the  mo- 
nastic cloister-garth,  and  the  garden  called  old-fashioned 
nowadays. 

When  Egyptian  horticulture  flourished  extensively  — 
from  the  eighth  to  the  third  centuries  before  Christ  — 
plantations  overran  the  courtyards  and  spread  into  the 
grounds  without.  The  scheme  of  these  plantations 
has  often  been  found  incised  upon  ancient  blocks  of 
stone.  It  appears  to  have  consisted  of  a  collection  of 
walled,  rectangular  parallelograms,  covering  many  acres. 
Among  these  interesting  representations  is  the  plan 
of  a  garden  belonging  to  one  of  the  Pharaohs  engraved 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Plan  of 
garden  at 


Amarna. 


upon  part  of  the  tomb  of  Tel-el-Amarna,  formerly  ex- 
hibited at  the  British  Museum.  Riat,  in  "  L'Art  des 
Jardins,"  says  of  this :  "  The  plantation,  as  was  usually 
the  case,  lay  near  the  Nile  to  facilitate  its  irrigation,  and 
was  divided  by  walls  into  sections,  each  devoted  to  a 
special  culture.  In  the  centre  lies  a  rectangular  basin 
occupied  by  fish  and  ducks  and  tufted  with  lotuses. 
A  fringe  of  trees  —  dates,  sycamores,  and  palms  — 
veils  the  boundary  walls  of  the  enclosure,  containing 
within  many  other  species,  such  as  figs,  pomegranates, 
willows,  acacias,  and  tamarisks.  A  large  door  flanked 
by  two  smaller  ones,  as  was  common,  formed  the  main 

entrance.  Sev- 
eral kiosks,  near 
the  basins  or 
under  the  shade, 
were  inviting  for 
a  peaceful  siesta." 
Dating  from 

about  1500  B.C.  various  mural  paintings  in  tempera 
show  garden  scenes  where,  beside  the  fish-ponds  or 
under  the  palm  trees  and  sycamores,  guests  are  being 
entertained  by  musicians  playing  on  the  flute  and 
by  dancing  girls.  One  especially  interesting  example, 
preserved  at  the  British  Museum,  shows  a  gentle- 
man with  two  companions  in  a  boat  like  a  gondola 
towed  by  slaves  along  an  oblong-shaped  pond,  over- 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  9 

hung  by  several  rows  of  trees.  Another,  sketched  in 
the  illustration,  depicts  a  similar  pond  on  a  smaller 
scale,  where  fish  and  ducks  disport  themselves  among 
the  sacred  lotuses. 

In  ancient  Egyptian  literature,  gardens  are  often 
poetically  described  as  the  meeting  place  of  lotus- 
eating  lovers,  whose  "  flowery  food  caused  sweet  for- 
getfulness."  The  following  extract  is  from  a  poem 
written  about  1300  B.C. 

A  poetical 
"  She  led  me,  hand  in  hand,  and  we  went  into  her  garden  to  converse  description. 

together. 

There  she  made  me  taste  of  excellent  honey. 

The  rushes  of  the  garden  were  verdant,  and  all  its  bushes  flourishing. 
There  were  currant  trees  and  cherries  redder  than  rubies. 
The  ripe  peaches 1  of  the  garden  resembled  bronze,  and  the  groves  had 

the  lustre  of  the  stone  nashem? 
The  tnennt3  unshelled  like  cocoanuts  they  brought  to  us ;  its  shade 

was  fresh  and  airy,  and  soft  for  the  repose  of  love. 
'  Come  to  me,'  she  called  unto  me, '  and  enjoy  thyself  a  day  in  the  room 

of  a  young  girl  who  belongs  to  me,  the  garden  is  to-day  in  its 

glory ;  there  is  a  terrace  and  a  parlour.'  " 

— "  The  Tale  of  the  Garden  of  Flowers,"  translated  by  M.  Fran?ois  Chabas 
("  Records  of  the  Past,"  Egyptian  texts). 

Assyrian 
.  .  .         and  Persian 

The  Assyrians  and  Persians,  whose  intercourse  with  influence, 
the  Egyptians  was  intimate  at  least  fourteen  centuries 
before    Christ,    were    celebrated    for    their    marvellous 

1  The  Persea  fruit,  a  species  of  sacred  almond. 

2  Green  felspar.  3  An  unknown  fruit.       ( 


io  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

gardens  at  a  very  early  period,  and  passed  on  a  share 
of  their  knowledge  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  Pliny 
says  in  his  "  Natural  History  "  as  it  was  translated 
by  P.  Holland  at  the  time  of  the  Renaissance,  "  The 
Syrians  are  great  Gardiners,  they  take  exceeding 
pains  and  bee  most  anxious  in  gardening;  whereupon 
arose  the  proverb  in  Greek  to  this  effect,  '  Many 
Woorts  and  Pot-herbs  in  Syria.'" 

These    Eastern    pleasure    grounds    were    known    to 
the    Greeks   as  paradeisoi  (TrapaSeio-ot).      Sir    William 


The  oriental  Temple  in  the  "  Garden  of  Epicurus  "  writes  :  — 

"  A  Paradise  seems  to  have  been  a  large  Space 
of  Ground  adorned  and  beautified  with  all  Sorts  of 
Trees  both  of  Fruits  and  of  Forest,  either  found  there 
before  it  was  enclosed  or  planted  after;  either  culti- 
vated like  gardens  for  Shade  and  for  walks  with 
Fountains  or  Streams  and  all  sorts  of  Plants  usual  in 
the  Climate  and  pleasant  to  the  Eye,  the  Smell  or  the 
Taste  ;  or  else  employed  like  our  Parks  for  Inclosure 
and  Harbour  of  all  sorts  of  Wild  Beasts,  as  well  as 
for  the  Pleasure  of  Riding  and  Walking  :  And  so 
they  were  of  more  or  less  extent  and  of  differing 
Entertainment  according  to  the  several  Humours  of 
the  Princes  that  ordered  and  inclosed  them." 

There  are  several  representations  of  such  paradeisoi 
incised  on  marble  slabs  brought  from  Kouyunjik  to 
the  British  Museum.  The  most  interesting  of  these  is 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  n 

placed  on  the  east  wall  of  the  Assyrian  basement,  and  Asshur- 

bani-pal 

depicts  a  grove  of  trees  where  both  King  Asshur-bani-  banqueting 
pal  reclining  upon  a  couch  and  his  queen  sitting  beside  bower* 
him   erect   in   an  arm-chair  are  banqueting.     Above,  a 
bower  of    grape-vine    shades   their   heads,    and   behind 
each    stand    attendants    waving   fans    to    cool    the    air. 
Others    bring   plates   of   food    and    play    upon    musical 
instruments.      Birds   are   perched   on   the  trees,  a  part 
of  whose  foliage  is  being  devoured  by  a  huge  grass- 
hopper, while  from  one  of  the  branches  swings  the  cap- 
tured head  of  an  enemy.1 

At  Babylon,  the  Hanging  Gardens  built  or  restored 
under  the  Persian  dynasty  in  the  sixth  century  B.C., 
famous  as  one  of  the  Seven  Wonders  of  the  world, 
were  located  in  the  heart  of  a  crowded  city  and 
raised  above  the  traffic  of  the  streets  upon  massive  The  Hanging 

Gardens  at 

arcades.  The  gardens  were  formed  of  four  terraces  Babylon, 
covered  with  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers.  Each  terrace 
diminished  in  extent  as  its  height  above  the  ground 
increased;  thus  the  shape  of  the  whole  had  somewhat 
the  appearance  of  a  pyramid.  Strabo  mentions  the 
lowest  of  these  platforms  or  terraces  as  being  four  hun- 
dred feet  square  with  a  height  from  the  base  to  the 
apex  of  about  one  hundred  feet.  These  dimensions, 
however,  vary  greatly  according  to  different  authorities. 
Indeed,  our  idea  of  both  their  age  and  appearance  is 

1  This  is  shown  in  the  illustration  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter.    • 


12  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

very  vague.  There  were  other  hanging  gardens  on  a 
smaller  scale  at  Thebes,  Syracuse,  and  various  places 
of  less  importance. 

In  the  fifth  century  B.C.  the  Greeks  were  familiar 
with  the  gardens  of  the  Persian  satrap,  Cyrus  the 
Younger,  at  Sardis.  Xenophon  described  how  Cyrus 
showed  this  "  Paradise  of  Sardis,"  to  the  Grecian  am- 
bassador Lysander,  who  was  in  ecstasies  at  the  "  beauty 
of  the  trees,  the  regularity  of  the  planting,  the  even- 
ness of  their  rows,  and  their  making  regular  angles 
one  to  another,  in  a  word,  the  beauty  of  the  quincunx 
order  in  which  they  were  planted  and  the  delightful 
odours  issuing  from  them."  But  his  admiration  was 
redoubled  when,  seeing  his  astonishment  at  the  skill 
with  which  all  this  had  been  accomplished,  Cyrus 
remarked :  "  All  the  trees  which  you  here  behold  are 
of  my  own  appointment.  I  it  was  who  contrived, 
measured,  and  laid  out  the  ground  for  planting  these 
trees,  and  I  can  even  show  you  some  of  them  that 
I  planted  with  my  own  hand." 

The  earliest  Grecian  gardens,  existing  before  Greece 
had  come  into  close  contact  with  foreign  countries, 
were  characterized  by  an  extreme  simplicity,  much 
like  that  of  a  modern  orchard  or  kitchen  garden.  We 
may  draw  the  conclusion  that  even  the  royal  gardens 
were  far  less  elaborate  than  those  described  as  exist- 
ing at  the  same  time  in  the  East,  from  a  descrip- 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  13 

tion  in  the  "  Odyssey "  of  the  garden  of  Alcinous, 
similar  to  that  of  Laertes  in  Ithaca,  and  typical  of 
the  Homeric  Age. 

"  And  without  the  courtyard,  hard  by  the  door,  is 
a  great  garden,  of  four  ploughgates,  and  a  hedge  runs 
round  on  either  side.  And  there  grow  tall  trees 
blossoming,  pear  trees  and  pomegranates,  and  apple 
trees  with  bright  fruit,  and  sweet  figs,  and  olives  in 
their  bloom.  The  fruit  of  these  trees  never  perisheth, 
neither  faileth,  winter  or  summer,  enduring  through  all 
the  year.  Evermore  the  west  wind  blowing  brings 
some  fruits  to  birth  and  ripens  others.  Pear  upon  The  gardens 

of  Alcinous. 

pear  waxes  old,  and  apple  on  apple,  yea  and  cluster 
ripens  upon  cluster  of  the  grape,  and  fig  upon  fig. 
There  too  hath  he  a  fruitful  vineyard  planted,  whereof 
the  one  part  is  being  dried  by  the  heat,  a  sunny  plot 
on  level  ground,  while  other  grapes  men  are  gather- 
ing, and  yet  others  they  are  treading  in  the  wine- 
press. In  the  foremost  row  are  unripe  grapes  that 
cast  the  blossom,  and  others  there  be  that  are  grow- 
ing black  to  vintaging.  There  too,  skirting  the 
furthest  line,  are  all  manner  of  garden  beds,  planted 
trimly,  that  are  perpetually  fresh,  and  therein  are  two 
fountains  of  water,  whereof  one  scatters  his  stream  all 
about  the  garden,  and  the  other  runs  over  against  it 
beneath  the  threshold  of  the  courtyard,  and  issues  by 
the  lofty  house,  and  thence  did  the  townsfolk  draw 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


water.      These  were  the  splendid  gifts  of  the  gods  in 
the  palace  of  Alcinous."1 

After  the  fifth  century,  however,  there  began  to 
develop  in  Greece  pleasure  gardens  of  a  more  studied 
appearance,  bearing  greater  resem- 
blance to  those  of  Persia,  Babylon, 
and  Egypt.  This  change,  no  doubt, 
was  partly  caused  by  the  progress  of 
civilization  and  partly  by  the  closer 
relations  established  between  the  East 
and  the  West.  Greek  colonists  returned  from  these 
foreign  countries,  bringing  with  them  new  plants 
and  increased  information  as  to  their  culture  and  the 
architectural  features  appropriately  placed  in  their  vi- 
cinity. The  peristyle,  or  principal  house  court,  was 
ornamented  with  pavilions,  fountains,  and  colonnades, 
interspersed  with  low  beds  of  rare  exotic  plants.  There 
were  groves  of  oaks,  cypresses,  poplars,  willows,  and 
elms,  sometimes  set  out  in  public  parks,  and  some- 
times in  the  consecrated  grounds  adjoining  the  temples 
of  the  gods.  The  prophetic  oak  grove  of  Dodona 
was  one  of  the  most  ancient  Grecian  sanctuaries,  while 
many  other  trees  and  plants  were  considered  as  habi- 
tations of  living  spirits.  Fauns  and  dryads  seemed 
to  animate  the  forest  trees,  and  a  transmigrated  soul 


^'Odyssey,"  VII.     Done  into   English   prose  by   S.    H.    Butcher  and 
A.  Lang. 


CLASSIG   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  15 

might  find  a  resting-place  in  clumps  of  laurel  or  mul- 
berry, or  even  dwell  in  such  delicate  flowers  as  the 
hyacinth  or  crocus.  Floral  decorations  ornamented 
every  ceremony,  religious  or  secular.  In  mourning  or 
rejoicing,  the  heads  of  the  participants  were  crowned 
with  roses,  laurel,  or  bay  leaves.  Flowers  were  so 
much  used  in  their  religious  ceremonies  that  the  early 
Christians  despised  them  as  characteristic  pagan  attri- 
butes. 

In    Athens,   gardens   both   public   and    private   were 
numerous.     Many  of  these,  intended  as  meeting-places 
for  philosophers  and  their  pu- 
pils,    belonged     sometimes     to 
individuals,    sometimes    to    the 
state.      Pliny   says,    "  Epicurus, 
that  connoisseur  in  the  enjoy- 
ment   of   a    life    of   ease,  was    the    first    to    lay    out    a 
garden  at  Athens ;    up   to  his  time  it  had   never  been  Gardens 

of  the 

thought  of   to  dwell  in  the   country  in    the    middle    of  phiios- 
the     town."      Plato     and     Theophrastus     also     owned  01 
famous    gardens    where     their    pupils     assembled     for 
instruction.     In    his    will    Theophrastus  made   the  fol- 
lowing bequest,  "  As  to  my  garden,  the  walk  and  the 
houses  adjacent  to   the  garden,   I  give  them   to   those 
of  my  friends  mentioned  below,  who  desire  to  devote 
themselves     in     common     to     study     and     philosophy 
therein."      His    pupils   were    especially    renowned  (  for 


SKETCH  •  PLAN  or  AN  GXEDRA 


16  ENGLISH   PLEASURE   GARDENS 

pacing  up  and  down  the  garden  walks  during  philo- 
sophic discussions,  and  accordingly  were  entitled  mem- 
bers of  the  peripatetic  school.  In  the  Lykeion  and 
the  Akademion,  beautiful  parks  contained  canals,  foun- 
tains, groves  of  elm  and  plane  trees,  and  many  build- 
ings large  and  small.  Beside  the  main  thoroughfares 
were  narrow  winding  paths,  known  as  philosophers' 
walks,  furnished  with  exedra  or  seats  large  enough  for 
several  wanderers  to  rest  upon  while  engaged  in 
conversation. 

The  most  idyllic  description  of  a  Grecian  garden  was 
written  in  the  third  century  by  Theocritus,  a  Sicilian 
Greek,  who  lived  partly  in  Sicily,  partly  in  Egypt. 
An  idyl  by  "  So,  I  and  Eucritus  and  the  fair  Amyntichus  turned 
aside  into  the  house  of  Phrasidamus,  and  lay  down  with 
delight  in  beds  of  sweet  tamarisk  and  fresh  cuttings 
from  the  vines,  strewn  on  the  ground.  Many  poplars 
and  elm  trees  were  waving  over  our  heads,  and  not  far 
off  the  running  of  the  sacred  water  from  the  cave  of  the 
nymphs  warbled  to  us :  in  the  shimmering  branches  the 
sun-burnt  grasshoppers  were  busy  with  their  talk,  and 
from  afar  the  little  owl  cried  softly  out  of  the  tangled 
thorns  of  the  blackberry;  the  larks  were  singing  and  the 
hedgebirds,  and  the  turtle-dove  moaned;  the  bees  flew 
round  and  round  the  fountains,  murmuring  softly ;  the 
scent  of  late  summer  and  of  the  fall  of  the  year  was 
everywhere;  the  pears  fell  from  the  trees  at  our  feet, 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS 


and  apples  in  number  rolled  down  at  our  sides,  and  the 
young  plum  trees  were  bent  to  the  earth  with  the  weight 
of  their  fruit." 1 

The  classic  Roman  pleasure  gardens  began  to  come  The  rise  of 
into  existence  during  the  latter  half  of  the  second  gardens, 
century  before  Christ.  Traditions  of  the  earlier  gardens, 
which  have  been  described,  had  been  handed  down  to 
the  Romans,  and  added  to  the  honour  in  which  gardens 
were  held.  "  For  we  find  in  remote  antiquity  even,"  Pliny 
says,  "  there  was  nothing  looked  upon  with  a  greater 
degree  of  admiration  than  the  gardens  of  the  Hes- 
perides,  those  of  the  kings  Adonis  and  Alcinous,  and 
Hanging  Gardens,  including  those  of  Cyrus,  king  of 
Assyria."  Cato  and  Varro  treated  gardening  from  a 
cultural  standpoint,  and  their  example  was  followed  in 
verse  by  Virgil  and  Columella. 

Between   Greece  and    Rome  the  connection   was  at 
this    time   most  intimate.     Many  parts  of   the   Roman  period, 
houses   were   fashioned   after  Gre- 
cian models  and  known  by  Grecian 
names.     Often,  however,  the  names 
appropriated  were  not  used  for  the 
same  objects  in  both  countries,  and 
this    ambiguity    led    to    confusion. 
Thus,  while  a  gallery  or  colonnade 
covered  with  vines  like  a  pergola 


A  CONCAVE  SUN-DIAU 


1  Idyl  VII,  Thalysia,  trans.  W.  Pater. 


i8  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

was  called  by  the  Greeks  a  xystus,  this  name,  as  Vitru- 
vius  has  pointed  out,  was  given  by  the  Romans  to  a 
parterre  composed  of  paths  and  flower-beds.  Peristylium, 
exedra,  and  hippodrome,  among  other  words  frequently 
applied,  rightly  or  wrongly,  to  different  features  in  Roman 
gardens,  denote  their  derivation  from  the  Greek.  Some- 
times the  transposition  led  to  mistakes  as  curious  as 
that  which  allowed  the  Romans  to  consult  for  a  century 
a  Grecian  sun-dial,  brought  from  Catana  in  Sicily  to 
Rome,  without  realizing  that  the  difference  in  latitude 
made  it  a  useless  timepiece  in  the  more  northern  city. 

This  Graeco-Roman  style  of  garden  was  brought  to 

its  perfection  in   the  first  century  before  Christ,  —  the 

period  of  the  conquest  of  England,  —  and  hence  is  most 

interesting  to  us  as  showing  the  style  likely  to  have  been 

increase  of     introduced  by  the  Romans  into  Great  Britain.     In  Italy, 

pleasure 

grounds.  at  this  time,  pleasure  gardens  were  multiplying  so  rapidly 
that  scant  attention  was  being  given  to  agriculture  and 
market-gardening.  Many  querulous  critics  extolled  the 
good  old  days  when  farming  used  to  be  held  in  high 
esteem,  and  bewailed  a  neglect  entailing  among  other 
evils  a  food  supply  insufficient  for  the  population.  The 
cities,  towns,  and  summer  resorts  were  honey-combed 
with  gardens,  which  gradually  overran  the  suburbs  and 
spread  thickly  throughout  the  country,  until  villas, 
including  vast  pleasure  gardens,  were  notable  from  the 
Apennines  to  Mount  Vesuvius. 


CLASSIC    PLEASURE   GROUNDS 


In  Rome,  and  in  the  smaller  cities  and  towns,  trees,  prevalence 
shrubs,  and  flowers  were  planted  everywhere.     "  That  a  mentai 
man   could    not   heretofore   come   by  a 
commoner's   house  within  the  citie,  but 
he  should  see  the  windowes  beautified 
with    greene      quishins     wrought     and 
tapissed  with  floures  of  all  colours;  re- 
sembling daily  to  their  view  the  gardens 
indeed   which   were  in    out-villages,   as 
being    in    the   very  heart   of    the   citie, 
they  might  think  themselves  in  the  country."1     There 
were   sacred    groves    and    public    parks   like    those    at 
Athens,  hanging  gardens  similar  to  those  at   Babylon, 
and  garden  courts  with  a  far-away  resemblance  to  those 
of  Egypt,  and  in  direct  imitation  of  the  Grecian  peristyle. 
"A  city  garden,  especially  of  one  who  has  no  other," 
says  Cato,  "ought  to  be  planted  and  ornamented  with 
all  possible  care." 

When    there    was    no    ground   to   spare   in    crowded  Hanging 
streets,    the    roofs   of    the    houses    were    laid   out   with  gar 
pergolas,  ornamental  plants,  and  fountains,  while  larger 
gardens  were  supported  on  masonry  in  mid-air.     These 
pensile  gardens  were  novelties  as  adversely  criticised  as 
the  twenty-story  buildings  of    modern  American  cities. 
"  Live  not  they  against  nature,"  asks  Seneca,  "  that  plant 
orchards  on  their  highest  towers,  that  have  whole  forests 

1  Pliny,  "  Natural  History."  Book  XIX,  trans.  P.  Holland. 


20 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Location 
of  the 
viridarium. 


The  peri- 
style. 


shaking  upon  the  tops  and  turrets  of  their  houses,  spread- 
ing their  roots  in  such  places  where  it  would  suffice  them 
that  the  tops  of  their  branches  should  touch  ?  " l 

If  the  dwelling  was  built  purely  after  the  Roman 
fashion,  vegetation  was  cultivated  in  a  court  behind 
the  house ;  but  if  the  Grecian  peristyle  had  replaced  the 
ancient  atrium,  it  contained  the  viridarium,  or  herbage. 
Sometimes  ornamental  plants  were  grown  in  both  the 
inner  and  outer  enclosures,  which,  opening  into  each 
other,  were  similar  in  arrangement.  Smaller  courtyards, 
particularly  one  reserved  for  the  women,  contained 
flowers  especially  intended  to  be  picked.  Often  when 
the  space  was  too  limited  to  contain  a  real  garden,  the 
illusion  of  seeing  one  was  contrived  by  painting  the 
enclosing  walls  with  flowers  and  shrubs  in  perspective. 
The  Grecian  peristyle  differed  from  the  Roman 
atrium  as  an  elegant  drawing-room  differs  from  a  homely 

living-room  in  a  modern 
house.  Most  of  the  larger 
dwellings  at  the  time  of  the 
Empire  contained  one  and 
sometimes  two  peristyles. 
These  courtyards  were  un- 
roofed quadrangles  enclosed 
by  a  portico  adjoining  the 
principal  apartments  occupied  by  the  family,  and  in 

1  Seneca,  Epist.  122. 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  21 

pleasant  weather  were  more  frequented  by  it  than 
any  of  the  indoor  rooms.  Ladies,  who  could  not  go 
freely  abroad,  made  the  courtyards  the  scene  of  most 
of  their  pleasures.  It  furnished  them  with  both  a 
sitting  room  and  playground.  Here  we  see  the  house- 
wife pictured  as  seated  under  a  sunshade  working  on 
some  tapestry  or  feeding  a  pet  dog  or  bird.  Here  a 
girl  is  balanced  aloft  in  a  swinging  chair,  and  others 
are  tilting  or  amusing  themselves  with  other  childlike 
sports  and  games.  Playing  on  musical  instruments  was 
another  favourite  diversion  practised  in  the  peristyle. 

As  Rome  grew  crowded  and  the  space  within  the 
walls  became  costly,  less  room  for  urban  gardens  was 
available,  and  people  began  to  build  villas  where  the 
area  was  cheaper  and  more  unrestricted,  first  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  along  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  and 
over  the  Campagna,  then  gradually  spreading  through- 
out the  peninsula.  This  led  to  the  development  of  the 
villa  pseudo-urbana,  which  almost  superseded  the  villa  villa 

gardens. 

rustica  in  many  rural  districts.  The  former  was  in- 
tended for  townspeople  who  sought  relaxation  in  a  more 
or  less  quiet  and  secluded  spot,  where  they  could  lead  a 
peaceful  and  healthy  life  in  all  the  luxury  of  their  city 
houses;  while  the  latter  was  a  simple  farm-house  such 
as  the  Villa  Rustica  at  Boscoreale.  Seclusion  was  a 
desideratum.  The  charming  arrangement  of  these 
pseudo-urban  villas  is  most  delightfully  described  'in 


22  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

several  of  the  younger  Pliny's  letters.  He  points  out  as 
the  great  advantage  of  his  Tuscan  property  above  all  his 
other  villa  grounds  that  here  "  there  is  no  need  to  put 
on  your  toga,  no  one  wants  you  in  the  neighbourhood, 
everything  is  calm  and  quiet,  and  this  in  itself  adds  to 
the  healthful  ness  and  cheerfulness  of  the  place,  no  less 
than  the  brightness  of  the  sky  and  the  clearness  of  the 
atmosphere." 

Of  Pliny's  Tusculan  villa,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  Rome,  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Apollinaris 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  first  century:  — 

Pliny's  "  My  villa  is  so  advantageously  situated,  that  it  com- 

^naCUla  mands  a  full  view  of  all  the  country  round;  yet  you 
approach  it  by  so  insensible  a  rise  that  you  find  your- 
self upon  an  eminence  without  perceiving  you  have 
ascended.  Behind,  but  at  a  great  distance,  stand  the 
Apennine  Mountains.  In  the  calmest  days  we  are 
refreshed  by  the  winds  that  blow  thence,  but  so  spent, 
as  it  were,  by  the  long  tract  of  land 
they  travel  over,  that  they  are  entirely 
divested  of  all  their  strength  and 
violence  before  they  reach  us.  The 
exposure  of  the  principal  house  front 
is  full  south,  and  seems  to  invite 
the  afternoon  sun  in  summer  (but  somewhat  earlier  in 
winter)  into  a  spacious  and  well-proportioned  portico, 
consisting  of  several  members,  particularly  a  porch  built 


CLASSIC    PLEASURE   GROUNDS  23 

in  the  ancient  manner.  In  front  of  the  portico  is  a  sort 
of  terrace,  embellished  with  various  figures  and  bounded 
with  a  box  hedge,  from  whence  you  descend  by  an 
easy  slope,  adorned  with  the  representations  of  divers 
animals  in  box  answering  alternately  to  each  other,  into 
a  lawn  overspread  with  the  soft  —  I  had  almost  said 
the  liquid  —  Acanthus : ]  this  is  surrounded  by  a  walk 
enclosed  with  tonsile  evergreens,  shaped  into  a  variety  of 
forms.  Beyond  it  is  the  Gestatio  laid  out  in  the  form 
of  a  circus,  ornamented  in  the  middle  with  box  cut  in 
numberless  different  figures,  together  with  a  plantation 
of  shrubs,  prevented  by  the  shears  from  shooting  up  too 
high :  the  whole  is  fenced  in  by  a  walk  covered  with  box, 
rising  by  different  ranges  to  the  top.  On  the  outside 
of  the  wall  lies  a  meadow,  that  owes  as  many  beauties 
to  nature,  as  all  I  have  been  describing  within  does  to 
art ;  at  the  end  of  which  are  several  other  meadows  and 
fields  interspersed  with  thickets.  At  the  extremity  of 
this  portico  stands  a  grand  dining  room,  which  opens 
upon  one  end  of  the  terrace ;  from  the  windows  there 
is  a  very  extensive  prospect  over  the  meadows  up  into 
the  country,  from  whence  you  also  have  a  view  of  the 
terrace  and  such  parts  of  the  house  which  project  for- 
ward, together  with  the  woods  enclosing  the  adjacent 
hippodrome.  Opposite,  almost  in  the  centre  of  the 
portico,  stands  a  square  edifice,  which  encompasses  a 

1  Probably  a  kind  of  moss.  » 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


small  area,  shaded  by  four  plane  trees,  in  the  midst  of 
which  a  fountain  rises,  from  whence  the  water,  running 
over  the  edges  of  a  marble  basin,  gently  refreshes  the 
surrounding  plane  trees  and  the  verdure  underneath 
them."  Then  follows  a  description  of  the  hippodrome, 
the  marble  seats,  summer-houses,  and  fountains,  which 
added  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  gardens.  Other  sug- 
gestions as  to  the  appearance  of  the  villa  gardens  may 
be  gathered  from  the  remaining  ruins  of  Hadrian's 
superb  villa  at  Tivoli,  from  the  dwellings  excavated  at 
and  near  Pompeii,  and  from  the  writings  of  the  classic 
writer  Vitruvius. 
Pseudo-  Of  the  smaller  pseudo-urban  villas  we  are  fortunate 

urban  villas     ...  i          i  • 

at  Pompeii,  m  being  able  to  study  those  in  and  near  Pompeii. 
At  this  watering-place,  everything  was  so  planned 
that  the  residents  might  enjoy  a  change  from  city 
life,  by  dwelling  almost  continu- 
ally in  the  open  air.  As  it  was 
mostly  frequented  in  summer, 
protection  was  provided  from  the 
heat  rather  than  from  cold. 
Courtyards  occupied  far  more 
space  within  the  walls  of  the 
house  than  the  wholly  enclosed 
apartments  under  its  roof.  The 
residence  mainly  consisted  of  a 
large  central  peristyle,  surrounded  by  the  various 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS 


living  rooms.  All  over  the  town,  gardens  filling  the 
courtyards  have  been  excavated,  some  of  these  enriched 
with  a  great  variety  of  beautiful  objects  both  useful 
and  ornamental.  Fountains  (fontes  surgentes),  statuary 
of  bronze  and  marble,  besides  stone  sun-dials,  tables, 
and  couches,  are  to  be  seen  in  their  original  positions. 
Fish-ponds  (piscina)  lined  with  blue  stucco,  niches 
covered  with  shell-work  or  gayly-coloured  mosaics, 
and  little  pavilions  formed  of  marble  columns  are 
among  the  interesting  features.  The  walls  are  cov- 
ered with  frescoes,  often  representing  landscapes  with 
gardens. 

The  Casa  Nuova,  or  house  of  the  Vettii,  contains  The  house 
the  best  examples  of  a  xystus  and  peristyle.  Re-  vettii. 
cently  excavated,  it  has  been  left  as 
far  as  possible  in  its  former  shape, 
and  judiciously  restored  to  complete 
the  original  effect.  Even  the  pattern 
of  the  flower-beds  was  traced  from 
the  patches  of  richer  earth,  outlined 
by  brick  copings,  showing  the  original 
design.  At  one  corner  of  the  quad- 
rangle a  little  bronze  boy  squeezes 
under  his  arm  a  goose  from  whose 
bill  water  spouts  into  a  circular  basin. 
Similar  infants,  each  holding  a  different 
bird  or  beast,  stand  beside  corresponding  basins  at  the 


26 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 


three  remaining  corners,  while  in  the  middle  of  each 
side  two  statues  of  children  direct  water  into  an  oblong 
trough.  The  lead  pipe  through  which  the  water  was 
conducted  is  still  occasionally  used ;  the  marble  tables 
upon  which  food  was  served  still  stand  on  the  veranda, 
while  classic  flowers,  planted  in  beds  laid  out  on  their 
original  lines,  still  brighten  thev  parterre.  The  photo- 
graph gives  a  good  idea  of  the  arrangement,  but  only 
a  vague  impression  of  the  charm  of  the  running 
water,  the  brilliant  sunlight,  and  the  wonderful  blue 
sky  of  Italy,  in  contrast  to  the  cool  shade  of  the 
portico. 

The  medium-sized  country-seat  near  Pompeii,  known 
as  the  villa  of  Diomedes,  is  interesting  as  contain- 
ing gardens  both  within 
and  without  the  house. 
Its  front  door,  as  the 
celebrated  classic  architect 
Vitruvius  advises,  opens 
almost  directly  into  a  peri- 
style, the  centre  of  which 
is  divided  into  paths  and 
flower-beds.  At  the  left  of 
the  peristyle  is  a  passage 
leading  into  a  second  garden  not  yet  excavated.  A 
third  and  much  larger  enclosure  behind  the  house  is 
encompassed  by  a  portico,  and  was  planted  with 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS 


27 


trees  and  flowers.  In  the  centre  are  the  remains 
of  a  fish-pond  ornamented  by  a  fountain,  and  behind 
these  there  was  a  platform,  over  which  vines  were 
trained  on  a  wooden  framework  supported  by  six 
stucco  columns.  Doubtless  meals  were  often  served 
under  this  delightful  little  pavilion  when  the  air  was 
refreshed  by  its  vicinity  to  the  cool  fountain.  The 
illustration  is  taken  from  an  edition  of  the  "  Hypneroto- 
machia  Poliphili,"  published  early  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  two  centuries  before  excavations  were  begun 
at  Pompeii.  Curiously  enough,  it  gives  a  very  good 
impression  of  the  Pompeian  combination  of  a  fountain 
and  pavilion. 

In  the  more  palatial  villas,  added  to  the  garden  in  Palatial 
the  peristyle  and  to  that  behind  the  house,  were  gardens, 
various  other  enclosed  pleasure 
grounds  laid  out  on  a  much  larger 
scale.  The  geometric  patterns  of 
the  formal  enclosures  were  arranged 
in  sharp  contrast  to  the  studied 
wilderness  of  the  park.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  harmonious 

than  the  general  proportions  of  these  gardens,  or 
more  elaborate  than  their  details.  Straight  lines  pre- 
dominated and  were  designed  to  offer  a  series  of  long 
perspectives  to  the  eye.  If  looked  down  upon  from 
a  considerable  height,  they  would  hardly  have  beeri 


28 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


distinguishable  from  the  extensive  pleasure  grounds  laid 
out  by  the  great  architects  of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 

Even  the  kitchen  gardens  were  planned  with  an  eye 
to  their  ornamental  effect.      "  But    is  the    garden    that 
is  for  use  to  avail  of  no  ornament  ? "    asks  Quintilian ; 
"by  all  means  let  these  trees  be  planted  in  a    regular 
order,  and  at  certain  distances. 
Observe   that   quincunx,    how 
beautiful    it    is ;    view    it    on 
every  side ;  what  can  you  ob- 
serve more    straight   or   more 
graceful  ?       Regularity       and 

arrangement  even  improve  the  soil,  because  the  juices 
rise  more  regularly  to  nourish  what  it  bears.  Should 
I  observe  the  branches  of  yonder  olive  tree  shooting 
into  luxuriancy,  I  instantly  should  lop  it;  the  effect 
is,  it  would  form  itself  into  a  horizontal  circle,  which 
at  once  adds  to  its  beauty  and  improves  its  bearing." 
The  architectural  features  were  so  varied  and  fanci- 
ful that  it  would  be  hopeless  to  try  to  describe  them 
all,  though  few  would  be  without  interest.  Pavilions, 
temples,  grottoes,  arbours,  and  greenhouses  were  com- 
mon, and  there  was  every  kind  of  portico  and  colon- 
nade, as  well  as  water-works,  including  baths  and 
fountains.  The  plan  of  the  classic  gardens  was 
invariably  the  work  of  an  architect;  architecture  pre- 
dominated in  the  general  scheme  and  in  all  its  details. 


CLASSIC    PLEASURE   GROUNDS  29 

The  vegetation  near  the  house  was  always  placed 
under  a  certain  restraint,  although  in  the  park  beyond 
it  might  seemingly  run  wild.  The  contrast  between 
the  formality  of  the  garden  and  the  exemption  from 
restraint  in  the  park  is  shown  in  the  accompanying 
illustration.  This  is  a  reproduction  of  a  wall  decora- 
tion at  the  Villa  Livia  outside  of  Rome,  giving  a  good 
idea  of  the  general  appearance  of  a  Roman  garden. 

A  casino,  a  form  of  pavilion  consisting  of  two  or  The 
three  rooms,  was  considered  almost  a  necessity.  It 
was  especially  intended  for  games,  banqueting,  or 
repose.  As  the  villa  was  removed  from  the  bustle 
of  town,  so  the  casino  was  detached  from  the  noise 
unavoidable  in  a  country  house,  containing,  besides  the 
host,  his  family,  dozens  of  guests,  and  hundreds  of 
slaves.  Pliny  enthusiastically  describes  a  casino  at 
the  end  of  one  of  his  violet-scented  terrace,  walks,  — 
"  which  I  am  in  love  with  —  yes,  literally  in  love  with, 
for  I  built  it  with  my  own  hands."  This  contained 
two  sitting  rooms  and  a  sleeping  apartment.  The  last 
was  heated  by  a  hot-air  apparatus  and  was  double- 
walled,  so  that  it  was  "  impervious  to  the  voices  of 
the  slave  boys,  the  murmur  of  the  sea,  the  raging  of 
storms,  the  light  of  day,  and  even  the  flash  of  light- 
ning unless  the  windows  are  opened."  Continuing,  he 
adds,  "  Here  it  seems  to  me  that  I  have  got  away  even 
from  my  own  villa,  and  I  derive  especial  enjoyment  from 


30  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

it  at  the  time  of  the  Saturnalia,  while  the  other  parts 
of  my  establishment  are  ringing  with  the  license  and 
mirthful  shouts  of  that  season,  for  there  I  am  no  hin- 
drance to  the  gambols  of  my  slaves,  nor  are  they  to  my 
studies." 

Other  smaller  isolated  pavilions  were  called  cubicula, 
because  they  were  primarily  intended  for  repose  and 
contained  a  sleeping-place,  usually  a  couch  placed  in  a 
niche  or  alcove.  Our  word  cubby-hole  is  of  similar 
origin  and  significance.  Pliny  describes  such  a  little 
edifice  at  his  Tusculan  villa  as  "a  summer-house  of 
exquisite  marble,  the  doors  whereof  project  and  open 
into  a  green  enclosure ;  so  that  from  its  upper  and 
lower  windows  the  eye  is  presented  with  a  variety  of 
different  verdures.  Next  to  this  is  a  little  private 
recess  (which,  though  it  seems  distinct,  may  be  laid 
into  the  same  room)  furnished  with  a  couch;  and  not- 
withstanding it  has  windows  on  every  side,  yet  it 
enjoys  a  very  agreeable  gloominess  by  means  of  a 
spreading  vine  which  climbs  to  the  top  and  entirely 
overshades  it.  Here  you  may  recline  and  fancy  your- 
self in  a  wood:  with  this  difference  only,  that  you  are 
not  exposed  to  the  weather.  In  this  place  a  fountain 
also  rises  and  instantly  disappears ;  in  different  quar- 
ters are  disposed  marble  seats,  which  serve  no  less 
than  the  summer-house,  as  so  many  reliefs  after  one 
is  wearied  with  walking." 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE  GROUNDS  31 

There  were  various  forms  of  unwalled  constructions, 
consisting  of  columns  erected  on  platforms  and  sup- 
porting vine-covered  rafters,  shading  couches  or  seats, 
and  a  table  where  meals  could  be  served.  Several 
examples  of  these  little  banqueting  pavilions  remain 
at  Pompeii,  and  must  have  appeared  when  in  perfect 
condition  much  like  the  preceding  illustration,  which 
shows  a  Renaissance  reproduction  of  the  same  idea. 
Another  similar  pavilion,  but  in  the  shape  of  an 
alcove,  is  described  by  Pliny  as  terminating  an  acan- 
thus walk.  "  At  the  upper  end  is  an  alcove  of  white 
marble  shaded  by  vines,  supported  by  four  small 
Carystian  pillars.  From  this  bench  the  water,  gush- 
ing through  several  little  pipes,  as  if  it  were  pressed 
out  by  the  weight  of  the  people  who  repose  them- 
selves upon  it,  falls  into  a  stone  cistern  underneath, 
from  whence  it  is  received  into  a  fine-polished,  marble 
basin,  so  artfully  contrived  that  it  is  always  full  with- 
out ever  overflowing.  When  I  sup  here  this  basin 
serves  for  a  table,  the  large  sort  of  dishes  being 
placed  round  the  margin,  while  the  smaller  ones  swim 
about  in  the  form  of  little  vessels  and  water-fowl. 
Corresponding  to  this  is  a  fountain  which  is  inces- 
santly emptying  and  filling;  for  the  water,  which  it 
throws  up  to  a  great  height,  falls  back  into  it  by 
means  of  two  openings,  and  is  returned  as  fast  as  it 
is  received." 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Simplest  of  all  was  a  seat,  or  exedra,  sometimes 
covered  and  sometimes  uncovered,  usually  semicircular 
in  form  and  placed  on  a  slightly 
raised  platform.  This  was  espe- 
cially intended  for  conversation. 
On  the  street  of  the  Tombs  in 
Pompeii  are  three  or  four  of  these 
seats,  favourite  places  for  a  rendez- 
vous. Similar  exedrcz  were  placed  in 
the  house  courts,  gardens,  and  parks. 
Grottoes  or  artificial  caves  cooled  by  streams  of  fresh 
water  served  as  museea,  or  thinking-places  for  philoso- 
phers, where  they  could  meditate  in  solitude,  hidden 
from  observation,  protected  from 
interruption,  and  sheltered  from 
the  heat  of  the  midday  sun  in 
summer.  Such  a  grotto  sur- 
mounted by  a  pergola  is  shown 
in  the  accompanying  illustration. 
Other  caverns,  warmed  by  hot  air, 
were  provided  for  winter  occupa- 
tion. The  following  account,  by 
M.  T.  Varro,  gives  a  good  idea 
of  one  of  these  out-of-door  studies 
and  its  surroundings :  "  My  study 
(museum)  is  situated  at  the  spot  where  the  stream 
springs,  and  from  this  point,  as  far  as  an  island  formed 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  33 

by  its  junction  with  another  watercourse,  is  a  distance  of 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Along  its  banks  a  walk  is 
laid  out  ten  feet  broad ;  between  this  walk  and  the 
country  my  aviary  is  placed,  closed  in  right  and  left 
by  high  walls.  The  external  lines  of  the  building  gave 
it  some  resemblance  to  writing  tablets  surmounted  by 
a  capitol.  On  the  rectangular  side  its  breadth  is 
forty-eight  feet  and  its  length  seventy-two,  not  includ- 
ing the  semicircular  capitol,  which  is  twenty-seven 
feet  in  diameter.  Between  the  aviary  and  the  walk, 
which  marks  the  lower  margin  of  the  tablets,  opens 
a  vaulted  passage  leading  to  an  esplanade  (ambulatio). 
On  each  side  is  a  regular  portico  upheld  by  stone  col- 
umns, the  intervals  between  which  are  occupied  by  dwarf 
shrubs.  A  network  of  hemp  stretches  from  the  outside 
walk  to  the  architrave,  and  a  similar  trellis  joins  the 
architrave  to  the  pedestal.  The  interior  is  filled  with 
birds  of  every  species,  which  receive  their  food  through 
the  net.  A  little  stream  supplies  them  with  water." * 

Greenhouses    with  panes    of  glass  or  of   translucent  Green- 
stone were  built  for  the  protection  of  the  more  tender 
plants  in  winter,  and  to  force  others  to  mature  out  of 
season.     Here  exotics  from  the  East  were  growTn. 

Multitudes  of  birds,    beasts,  and    insects,  as    well    as  Aviaries  and 

apiaries. 

human  beings,  were  made  welcome  to  portions  of  the 
plantation  and  supplied .  with  suitable  dwelling-places. 

1  "  Of  Agriculture,"  M.  T.  Varro.  ^ 


34 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Provision  for 
exercise. 


In  the  early  cult  of  sacred  trees  and  pillars,  birds 
played  an  important  part,  and  then,  as  Mr.  Arthur 
Evans  has  remarked,  as  occurs  to-day  among  primitive 
races,  the  spiritual  being  in  bird  form  was  commonly 

supposed  to  descend  on 
trees  and  stones.  Peacocks 
strutted  along  the  alleys, 
swans  sailed  over  the  water, 
and  doves  flew  about  the 
fountains,  each  the  possible 
incarnation  of  a  god  or  god- 
dess. Song-birds  are  said 
to  have  been  less  esteemed 
than  those  which,  like  the 
turtle-dove,  had  "  qualities  recalling  the  great  law  of 
Nature,  the  law  of  love,  a  fundamental  principle 
in  the  religion  of  antiquity."  Sometimes  they  were 
confined  in  cages  of  hempen  netting  or  wickerwork, 
but  often  they  were  permitted  to  roam  at  liberty. 
Beehives  were  also  constructed  of  wickerwork  and 
sometimes  of  earthenware. 

In  the  scheme  of  the  gardens,  much  importance 
was  attached  to  various  open-air  constructions  es- 
pecially intended  to  promote  muscular  exercise.  The 
largest  of  these  was  the  hippodromus,  a  name  given 
in  the  time  of  the  Antonines,  not  to  a  building,  but 
to  an  elongated  rectangle  terminated  at  one  end  by 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  35 

a  semicircle,  and  defined  by  a  broad  path  running 
around  it  like  a  race  track.  Here  one  could  drive 
along  a  broad  avenue  shaded  by  planes  and  laurels, 
be  carried  in  a  litter  on  an  alley  firmly  constructed 
for  that  purpose,  or  walk  on  a  gravel  foot-path.  The 
central  area  was  covered  by  turf  intersected  by 
narrow  paths  and  sometimes  planted  with  rose-bushes 
or  geometrical  flower-beds.  Pliny  the  Younger  gives 
a  detailed  description  of  a  hippodrome  of  this  kind 
at  his  Tusculan  villa.  It  was  enclosed  by  "  plane 
trees  covered  with  ivy,  so  that  while  their  heads 
flourish  with  their  own  foliage,  their  bodies  enjoy  a 
borrowed  verdure ;  and  thus  the  ivy,  twining  round 
the  trunks  and  branches,  spreads  from  tree  to  tree 
and  connects  them  together.  Between  each  plane 
tree  are  planted  box  trees,  and  behind  these  bay  trees, 
which  blend  their  shade  with  that  of  the  planes. 
This  plantation,  forming  a  straight  boundary  on  both  T 

drone. 

sides  of  the  hippodrome,  bends  at  the  farther  end  into 
a  semicircle,  which,  being  set  round  and  sheltered  with 
cypress  trees,  varies  the  prospect  and  casts  a  deeper 
gloom;  while  the  inward  circular  walks  (for  there 
are  several),  enjoying  an  open  exposure,  are  perfumed 
with  roses,  and  correct  by  a  very  pleasing  contrast 
the  coolness  of  the  shade  with  the  warmth  of  the 
sun.  Having  passed  through  these  several  winding 
alleys,  you  enter  a  straight  walk,  which  breaks  out 


36  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

into  a  variety  of  others  divided  by  box  hedges.  In 
one  place  you  have  a  little  meadow,  in  another  the 
box  is  cut  into  a  thousand  different  forms ;  some- 
times into  letters  expressing  the  name  of  the  master; 
sometimes  that  of  the  artificer,  whilst  here  and  there 
little  obelisks  rise,  intermixed  alternately  with  fruit 
trees ;  when  on  a  sudden,  in  the  midst  of  this  elegant 
regularity,  you  are  surprised  with  an  imitation  of  the 
negligent  beauties  of  rural  nature,  in  the  centre  of 
which  lies  a  spot  surrounded  with  a  knot  of  dwarf 
plane  trees.  .  .  .  Throughout  the  whole  hippodrome 
several  small  rills  run  murmuring  along,  wheresoever 
the  hand  of  art  thought  proper  to  conduct  them; 
watering  here  and  there  different  spots  of  verdure, 
and  in  their  progress  refreshing  the  whole." 

Broad  paths  wide  enough  for  a  sedan-chair  or  a  litter 
to  be  carried  along  them  were  called  gestationes.  Some- 
times they  surrounded  the  parterre  or  hippodrome,  and 
sometimes  they  were  placed  on  a  terrace.  Often  they 
were  planted  with  soft  moss  or  with  sweet-smelling 
herbs,  which  sent  forth  their  fragrance  when  crushed 
under  foot. 

Narrow  paths,  called  ambulationes,  separated  the  beds 
in  the  parterre.  These  were  not  wide  enough  for  more 
than  one  or  two  people  to  walk  abreast. 

Other  kinds  of  esplanades,  open,  or  covered  by  a  por- 
tico, were  intended  especially  for  the  taking  of  exercise. 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS 


37 


In  summer  they  were  shielded  from  the  bright  rays 
of  light  and  exposed  to  every  cool  breath  of  wind;  in 
winter  protected  from  unwelcome  breezes  and  warmed 
by  the  sunshine.  The  length  of  each  promenade  was 
carefully  measured,  and  posted  up  where  the  walker 
could  easily  calculate  the  extent  of  his  stroll. 

Sculpture  added  much  to  the  decorative  effect  of  the  sculpture, 
garden.     Carved  balustrades,  benches,  tables,  bas-reliefs, 
and     statuary    were     considered    the    most 
important  part  of  many  gardens,  and  were 
beautifully  designed.     To  supply  this  orna- 
mentation, ship-loads  of  the  finest  works  of 
art   were    exported    from    Greece    to    adorn 
Italian  pleasure  grounds.     At  Lucan's  villa, 
near  Rome,  marble  sculpture  was  so  predominant  that 
his  gardens  were  called  by  Juvenal  horti  marmorei. 

As  in  Greece,  statues  were  usually  set  up  in  honour  statuary, 
of  some  appropriate  divinity.  Accordingly,  images  of 
the  Graces,  the  Seasons,  Pan, 
Sylvanus,  Flora,  Pomona,  and 
Vertumnus  were  frequently  erected. 
Oftenest  of  all  Priapus  was  thus 
worshipped.  Even  the  humblest 
peasants  took  pains  to  employ  his 
image  rudely  carved  from  a  tree 
trunk  or  a  block  of  stone  to  act 
as  a  protective  deity  or  sanctified  scarecrow  to  frighten 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


harmful  birds  away  from  their  crops.  Terminal  statues 
with  knobs  below  the  shoulders,  from  which  a  votive 
garland  of  flowers  might  be  hung,  seem  especially  fit 
for  the  open  air. 

Refreshment  being  one  of  the  most  desirable  luxu- 
ries for  human  beings  and  a  necessity  for  the  vegetation, 
an  abundance  of  water  was  in- 
dispensably connected  with  out- 
of-door  dwelling-places.  In  the 
baths,  fish-ponds,  and  fountains 
great  ingenuity  was  displayed  to 
please  the  eye  while  the  body 
was  being  reinvigorated.  An 
aquarius  was  one  of  the  most  highly  skilled  slaves 
employed  at  the  villa;  under  his  direction  many  useful 
and  ornamental  water-works,  designed  by  the  architects 
and  engineers,  were  kept  in  order.  From  an  elaborate 
chateau  d'eau  to  a  slender  font  of  drinking-water,  almost 
every  form  of  ornamental  hydraulics  with  which  we  are 
familiar,  and  many  others  now  unknown,  seem  to  have 
been  employed  by  the  ancients. 

At  Pompeii  there  are  a  variety  of  fountains  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation.  Hardly  a  peristyle  is  without  a 
rectangular  basin  of  water  a  foot  or  two  deep,  either 
lined  with  marble  or  mosaic.  Usually  they  are  placed 
entirely  below  the  level  of  the  pavement,  but  occasion- 
ally the  edge  of  the  basin  is  surmounted  by  a  marble 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  39 

coping  rising  a  few  inches  above  the  surface.     A  marble 

table   or   statue   was  often   placed    in    connection   with 

this  fountain.     Many  garden  courts  were 

also   ornamented   with    brightly  coloured 

niches    covered    with    mosaic   and    shell- 
work  sheltering   a   spout  of   water  or   a 

miniature   chateau   d'eau    and    decorated 

with   statues.      Masks   serving   as   lamps 

were    placed    on    each    side    of    one    of 

these    niches.     At   night  flames  bursting 

through   the  eyes   and   mouth    must   have   produced   a 

weird  effect. 

Fantastically  clipped  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs  were 

the    principal    "  vegetate    ornament "    of     the    garden. 

This  kind  of  sculpture  is  said  to  have  been  invented  by 
Matius,  a  friend  of  the  Emperor  Augus- 
tus. The  chief  gardener  was  known  as 
the  topiarius,  and  it  was  his  none  too  Topiary 
easy  task  to  see  that  the  evergreens  were  work' 
artistically  shorn.  Under  his  supervision 
pyramids,  cones,  wild  animals,  hunting 
scenes,  and  even  a  whole  fleet  of  ships 
might  be  shaped  by  skilful  shears.  Of 
shrubs  there  were  fewer  species  then,  but 
the  variety  in  form  given  by  the  topi- 
ary's art  made  up  for  any  deficiency 

in   their   natural    diversity.      An  illustration  from    trie 


40  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

"  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "  shows  the  image  of  a  man 
upholding  a  curious  structure,  all  of  which  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  clipped  from  a  box  tree.  Other  no 
less  fanciful  designs  were  reconstructed  on  supposedly 
classic  lines  by  the  archaeologists  of  the  Renaissance, 
and  were  probably  not  far  from  the  mark. 

The  xystus,  or  parterre,  was  ''elaborately  laid  out 
in  figures  edged  with  box.  Sometimes  these  outlines 
were  left  empty,  and  sometimes  they  were  filled  with 
flowers.  The  accompanying  illustrations  give  an  idea 
of  the  style  of  the  design.  According  to  our  ideas, 
flowers,  even  in  the  xystus,  would  have  seemed  lack- 
ing in  abundance  and  variety.  From  coronamenta,  a 
word  used  to  signify  cultivated  flowers,  we  can  assume 
that  they  were  intended  to  be  picked  to  decorate  with 
wreaths  the  heads  of  those  reclining  at  a  banquet,  or 
to  festoon  the  walls  with  garlands,  rather  than  to 
give  pleasure  when  growing.  Thus  the  appearance 
of  the  parterre  depended  mostly  upon  the  geometrical 
design  of  the  beds,  the  topiary  work,  statuary,  and 
fountains.  The  scarcity  of  vegetation  brought  the 
architectural  features  into  great  prominence. 

The  rose,  the  lily,  and  the  violet  were  the  three 
most  distinguished  flowers  of  antiquity;  but  the  nar- 
cissus, anemone,  gladiolus,  iris,  poppy,  amaranth,  im- 
mortelle, verbena,  periwinkle,  and  crocus  were  also 
cultivated  and  much  admired.  Many  flowerless  plants 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE   GROUNDS  41 

like  basil,  sweet  marjoram,  and  thyme  were  grown  for 
their  fragrance,  while    the   acanthus   was   welcome   on 
account  of  its  beautiful  foliage.     Numer- 
ous flowers  are  mentioned  by  Pliny  in 
his  "  Natural    History "  on  account  of 
their  curative   properties,  among  them 

the  asphodel,   nasturtium,  and    mallow. 

~,,         ,  .  .  « 

Others  he  praises  as  especially  appro- 
priate for  chaplets  and  garlands,  such  as  roses,  violets, 
and  the  never  fading  amaranth.  Ivy  covered  the  walls 
or  was  trained  to  form  garlands  between  trees  and 
columns. 

Trees    and   shrubs   were   cultivated    in   the    garden  Trees  and 

shrubs. 

and  park  and  were  often  sacred  to  the  gods,  especially 
if  happening  to  have  been  struck  by  lightning.  In 
front  of  these  tables  or  altars  were  idols  placed 
as  shown  in  the  preceding  illustration.  The  first 
temples,  according  to  Pliny,  were  trees.  Among 
the  favourites  were  the  pine,  the  emblem  of  Cybele, 
the  oak  of  Jupiter,  the  laurel  of  Apollo,  the  myrtle 
of  Venus,  the  poplar  of  Hercules,  and  the  olive 
of  Minerva.  Groves  of  sacred  trees  were  often 
planted,  especially  in  connection  with  temples.  The 
cypress  although  an  exotic  was  also  grown  in  many 
places.  Yew,  although  sufficiently  common,  was  not 
much  esteemed,  and  instead  juniper  and  rosemary 
were  often  employed  for  topiary  work.  Box,  too,  was 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


frequently  clipped,  and   then,  as   always,  considered  the 
best  shrub   for   edgings. 

Labyrinths.  Labyrinths  are  said  to  have  been  originally  con- 
structed to  conceal  the  royal  Egyptian  tombs.  The 
word  is  of  Egyptian  origin.  The  idea  of  Greek 
and  Roman  labyrinths  may  have  come  from  Egypt; 
but  in  the  great  prehistoric  palace  at  Knossos  most 
archaeologists  recognize  the  origi- 
nal of  the  traditional  labyrinth;  it 
was  the  house  of  the  double  axe, 
symbolizing  Zeus  and  reverenced 
as  the  sanctuary  of  the  god,  as  well 
as  the  palace  of  the  king.  In  the 
centre  of  the  building  were  two 
sacred  columns  engraved  with  double  axes.  The  plan 
of  this  labyrinth  is  commemorated  on  the  ancient  money 
of  Knossos.  During  the  Roman  Empire,  labyrinths 
were  often  constructed  to  ornament  gardens.  One  is 
sketched  on  a  wall  at  Pompeii  with  the  inscription 
Labyrinthus  hie  habitat  Minotaurtis.  Others  were  used 
as  designs  to  embellish  the  mosaic  pavement  of  the 
peristyle. 

Finally,    in    Italy    during    the    third    century,    as    in 

England  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth,  formality  and 

artificiality,   artificiality   were    carried    to    meaningless    extremes    of 

magnificence,  and  provoked  much   abuse    and    ridicule. 

One   writer   complains    that    the  cities    have    been    in- 


CLASSIC   PLEASURE  GROUNDS  43 

vaded  to  such  an  extent  by  the  country  that  they  are 
turned  into  vast  gardens.  Another  derides  a  fanatical 
amateur  whose  garden  was  made  complete  by  sacrific- 
ing to  it  his  bedchamber  and  dining  rooms.  The 
poets  Horace  and  Martial,  like  Pope  and  Addison  in 
more  recent  days,  wearying  of  the  restraint  imposed 
upon  nature  and  the  overluxurious,  pompous  life  estab- 
lished in  the  villa  pseudo  urbana,  advocated  return 
to  the  simplicities  of  the  villa  rustica. 

Hadrian's  famous  villa  at  Tivoli  showed          <([|>  Hadrian's 

evidence  of  the  degraded  but  magnificent 
taste  of  his  time.     It  was  the  last  word  of 
artificiality   and   pomposity,    and    cast    the 
golden  house  of  Nero  quite  into  the  shade. 
Even  now  the  ruins  cover  an  area  of  about 
ten  square  miles.     Gardens,  groves,  colon- 
nades,   shady    corridors,    high-roofed    domes,    grottoes, 
baths,     lakes,     basilicas,     libraries,     theatres,     circuses 
built  of  varicoloured  marble  and  filled   with  works  of 
art,  were  crowded  together  near  the  imperial  palace. 

Here  Gregorovius  tells  us  the  emperor  beguiled 
his  time  in  recollections  of  his  Odysseus-like  travels. 

"  For  this  villa,  built  according  to  his  own  designs, 
was  the  copy  and  reflection  of  the  most  beautiful  things 
which  he  had  admired  in  the  world.  The  names  of 
buildings  in  Athens  were  given  to  different  parts  of 
his  villa.  The  Lyceum,  the  Academy,  the  Prytaneum, 


44  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

the  Poecile,  even  the  vale  of  Tempe  with  the  Peneus 
flowing  through  it,  and  indeed  Elysium  and  Tartarus, 
were  all  there. 

"  One  part  was  consecrated  to  the  wonders  of  the 
Nile,  and  was  called  Canopus  after  the  enchanting 
pleasure  grounds  of  the  Alexandrians.  Here  stood  a 
copy  of  the  famous  temple  of  Serapis,  which  stood  on 
a  canal  and  was  approached  by  a  boat.  .  .  . 

"  At  a  sign  from  the  emperor  these  groves,  valleys, 
and  halls  would  become  alive  with  the  mythology  of 
Olympus ;  processions  of  priests  would  make  pilgrim- 
ages to  Canopus,  Tartarus  and  Elysium  would  be- 
come peopled  with  the  shades  from  Homer,  swarms  of 
bacchantes  might  wander  through  the  vale  of  Tempe, 
choruses  of  Euripides  might  be  heard  in  the  Greek 
theatre,  and  in  sham  fight  the  fleets  would  repeat  the 
battle  of  Xerxes." 


CHAPTER    II 

MONASTIC    GARDENS 

URING  the  tumultuous  Anglo-Saxon 
period  immediately  succeeding  the  with- 
drawal of  the  Romans  from  Britain,  their 
civilization  died  into  a  vague  tradition 
of  the  past.  "The  villas,  the  mosaics, 
the  coins  which  we  dig  up  in  our  fields,  are  no  relics 
of  our  English  fathers,  but  of  a  Roman  world  which 
our  fathers'  swords  swept  utterly  away."  The  peace- 
ful arts  were  lost  in  oblivion.  Horticulture,  least  of 
all,  could  flourish  while  the  country  was  being  dev- 
astated by  internal  anarchy  and  barbarian  invasions. 

The  coming  of  St.  Augustine  to  Canterbury  in 
597  A.D.  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era.  "The 
civilization,  arts,  and  letters  which  had  fled  before 
the  sword  of  the  English  conquest  returned  with 
the  Christian  faith."  Toil,  which  had  sunk  into  the 
greatest  dishonour,  was  raised  from  the  dust  by  the 

45 


appearance 

of  Roman 

cuiture. 


tine> 


46 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


monks.  "  It  was  the  special  glory  of  St.  Benedict " 
(the  founder  of  the  order  to  which  St.  Augustine 
belonged)  "to  teach  the  men  of  his  day  that  work 
sanctified  by  prayer  is  the  best  thing  a  man  can  do, 
and  this  lesson  has  never  been  lost  sight  of  since  his 
time."  Thus  within  the  walls  of  the  Benedictine 
monasteries  were  large  gardens  %  cultivated  by  the 
monks  in  common,  and  often  smaller  ones  assigned 
to  the  abbot  and  to  the  chief  almoner  of  the  com- 
munity. Here  flowers,  despised  by  the  earliest  Chris- 
tians as  symbols  of  paganism,  were  now  grown  to 
decorate  the  church.  The  rose  was  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem.  At  Subiaco  is  still  preserved  the  roseto, 
a  little  rose  garden  set  apart  for  St.  Benedict.  The 
rose-bushes  it  contains  are  said  to  be  the  same  as 

those  whose  beauty  de- 
lighted his  senses,  and  with 
whose  thorns  he  was  ac- 
customed to  mortify  his 
flesh  when  endeavouring 
to  chase  away  thoughts  of 
the  beautiful  temptress. 

With  the  cross  the 
monks  carried  the  plough. 
The  Benedictines  were 
accordingly  called  by  Monsieur  Guizot  the  D'efricheurs 
of  Europe.  In  England,  to  the  Benedictine  St. 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  47 

Augustine  and  to  his  disciples  were  due  the  revival 
of  horticulture  and  the  introduction  of  several  new 
vegetables  and  fruits.  On  the  continent  the  monks 
are  said  to  have  incorporated  fragments  of  the  Roman 
villas  into  their  monasteries,  and  to  have  restored  the 
former  gardens.  But  in  England  there  seems  to  have 
been  very  slight  connection  if  any  between  the  classic 
and  conventual  grounds.  Although  during  the  two 
centuries  succeeding  the  advent  of  the  saint,  garden- 
ing certainly  flourished  within  the  newly  founded 
monasteries,  little  is  known  except  the  mere  fact  of 
its  existence. 

In  the  convents  for  women,  too,  planned  like  the  con-  Nunnery 

gardens . 

ventual  establishments  for  men,  there  were  gardens.  Of 
these,  one  of  the  earliest  was  constructed  by  St.  Rade- 
gonde,  wife  of  Clothair  I,  at  Poitiers,  whither,  in  the 
middle  of  the  sixth  century,  she  escaped  to  take  the  veil. 
"  Here  the  delicate  hands  of  the  queen,  of  the  Abbess 
Agnes,  and  of  the  nuns  cultivated  roses  and  other 
flowers,  that,  woven  into  garlands  or  scattered  on  the 
table  to  form  a  perfumed  covering,  ornamented  the 
refectory."  Perhaps  some  of  these  blossoms  had  clus- 
tered over  an  arbour  there,  where  the  poet  Venantius 
Fortunatus  (a  rather  Epicurean  bishop  with  many 
pagan  proclivities),  surrounded  by  a  group  of  admir- 
ing "sisters,"  used  to  compose  his  sonnets  and  enjoy 
en  ame  pr'ecieuse  the  sweetness  of  open-air  life. 


48  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

The  nuns  as       The    nuns    were    required    to    be    good    gardeners. 

gardeners . 

Many  years  later,  Heloi'se,  abbess  of  Paraclet,  addressed 
a  long  complaint  to  Abelard,  stating  that  it  was  un- 
reasonable to  expect  nuns  to  conform  to  the  same 
rules  as  monks  in  regard  to  agriculture  and  horticul- 
ture. Physically,  she  contended,  women  were  unfit 
for  much  rough  manual  labour. 
The  decline  In  the  tenth  century,  the  darkest  of  the  Dark  Ages, 

of  mona.sti- 

cism.  another  period  of  great  industrial  depression  reached  its 

lowest  ebb.  Again  civilization  suffered  from  foreign 
invasions.  Monasticism,  for  the  previous  two  centuries 
on  the  decline,  almost  ceased  the  struggle  to  subsist ; 
and  horticulture,  as  before  early  in  the  Christian  era, 
practically  became  a  lost  art. 

Religious  In  the  eleventh  century,  however,  a   revival  of  reli- 

revival. 

gious  zeal,  in  England  as  elsewhere,  brought  about  an 
improvement  in  the  condition  of  affairs.  This  develop- 
ment preceding  the  Norman  Conquest  is  well  described 
by  Viollet  le  Due:  — 

"All  Europe  was  under  either  religious  or  military 
rule,  and  as  in  this  world  moral  force  always  finishes  by 
overcoming  material  force,  when  there  is  a  conflict  be- 
tween the  two,  the  monasteries  acquired  more  influence 
and  more  riches  than  the  castles.  They  had  on  their 
side  the  voice  of  the  common  people,  who,  in  the  shadow 
of  the  convents,  devoted  themselves  to  industry  and  cul- 
tivated their  fields  in  greater  security  than  under  the 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  49 

walls  of  the  feudal  castles;  who  found  solace  for  their 
moral  and  physical  sufferings  within  the  great  estab- 
lishments, where  all  was  well  ordered,  where  prayers 
and  charity  were  never  wanting.  Religious  houses 
were  the  place  of  refuge  for  sick  souls,  for  great  repen- 
tances, for  hopes  deceived,  for  work  and  meditation,  for 
feebleness  and  poverty,  at  the  time  when  the  first  con- 
dition of  earthly  existence  was  a  strong  arm  and  a  shoul- 
der capable  of  carrying  a  coat  of  mail." 

After  the  Norman  Conquest,  William  and  his  fol-  Norman 
lowers  brought  with  them,  from  across  the  Channel,  new 
styles  in  architecture  for  the  castles  and  monasteries 
which  they  established  to  promote  the  subjugation  of 
England.  The  rage  for  founding  monasteries,  then  at 
its  height  in  Normandy,  spread  all  over  the  conquered 
country.  William  himself  began  this  movement  by 
erecting  and  richly  endowing  several  superb  abbeys, 
and  many  of  his  subjects  followed  his  example. 

Again  the  Benedictine  order  was  the  first  to  flourish,  Benedictine 
and  this  time  far  more  extensively  than  ever  before.  In 
order  to  avoid  any  unnecessary  contact  with  the  outside 
world,  its  rule  prescribed  that  each  community  should 
contain  all  the  essentials  of  life  within  its  precincts. 
Since  the  flesh  of  no  four-footed  animal  could  be  eaten, 
the  raising  of  fish  and  fowl  was  customary,  while  that 
of  vegetables  was  indispensable.  Fish  and  duck  ponds, 
poultry  yards,  orchards,  vineyards,  kitchen  and  physic 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


gardens,  were,  if  possible,  connected  with  every  religious 
foundation,  and  were  often  its  greatest  pride  and  glory. 
Manual  labour  was  obligatory,  and  the  monks  adopted 
agriculture  and  horticulture  as  their  favourite  pursuits. 

"  Beside  the  spacious  monastic  buildings,"  Monsieur 
Joret  says,  "one  always  found  a  garden.  Although  it 
was  destined  above  all  to  supply -the  needs  of  the  con- 
vent with  vegetables,  which  served  for  the  nourishment 
of  the  cenobites,  and  with  aromatic  or  medicinal  herbs, 
cultivated  for  the  remedies  which  they  furnished,  yet 
some  flowers  also  were  cherished  for  the  pleasure  they 
gave  the  eye  and  for  their  fragrance,  as  well  as  to 
deck  the  altar  on  a  feast  day." 

Of  these  monastic  gardens  few  actual  traces  or  exact 
records  have  been  preserved  in  England.  But  William 
ofeThoPme°y  of  Malmesbury's  delightful  description  of  the  cultivated 
grounds  close  to  Thorney  Abbey,  near  Peterborough, 
early  in  the  twelfth  century,  will  give  an  impression  of 
their  general  appearance.  "  It  represents  a  very  Para- 
dise, for  that  in  pleasure  and  delight  it  resembles  heaven 
itself.  The  marshes  abound  in  trees,  whose  length 
without  a  knot  doth  emulate  the  stars.  The  plain 
there  is  as  level  as  the  sea,  which  with  green  grass 
allures  the  eye,  and  is  so  smooth  that  there  is  nought 
to  hinder  him  who  runs  through  it.  Neither  is  there 
any  waste  space,  for  in  some  parts  are  apple  trees,  in 
others,  vines,  which  are  either  spread  on  the  ground  or 


William  of 

Malmes- 

bury's 


Abbey. 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  51 

raised  on  poles.  A  mutual  strife  is  there  between 
nature  and  art ;  so  that  what  one  produces  not,  the 
other  supplies." 

A  twelfth-century  plan  of   Canterbury,    showing   the  P^  of  Can- 
cloisters   containing   a  herbarium  and  a  conduit,   with  the  twelfth 

century. 

the  fish-pond,  orchard,  and  vineyard  outside  the  walls, 
gives  only  a  rough  idea  of  the  planting  and  arrange- 
ment; but  there  is  no  other  even  as  complete  belong- 
ing to  this  early  period.  Since,  however,  the  various 
parts  of  all  monasteries,  appertaining  to  the  same  order, 
were  disposed  with  as  much  uniformity  as  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  situation  permitted,  the  general  scheme 
of  the  English  monastic  gardens  can  be  gathered  from 
the  plans  and  descriptions  of  those  on  the  continent. 
The  building  was  usually  placed  in  a  valley  near  a  river, 
in  order  that  the  grounds  might  be  easily  irrigated. 
Among  the  important  divisions  the  cloister-garth  con- 
tained perhaps  the  most  characteristic  features,  and  is 
especially  interesting  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to 
the  classic  Grecian  peristyle  and  to  the  Roman  atrium, 
or  impluvium.  According  to  Viollet  le  Due  :  — 

"It  is  probable  that  the  first  cloisters  were  porticoes  The  cloisters 

...  of  western 

of  the  same  kind  as  those  of  antiquity,  that  is  to  say; —  origin, 
a  sloping   roof    of   carpentry  borne    upon    columns,   of 
which  the  base  rests  on  the  ground.     We  have  sought 
vainly  to  discover  at  what  period    the  well-known  dis- 
position   of    the    Roman    impluvium   was    modified    to 


52  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

that  which  we  see  admitted  in  the  most  ancient  clois- 
ters. There  must  have  been  a  transition  which  escapes 
us  for  lack  of  monuments  described,  or  buildings  still 
existing.  For  there  is  a  well-de- 
fined demarcation  between  the 
Roman  impluvium  and  the  Chris- 
tian cloisters  of  Europe.  In  the 
first,  the  columns  rest  directly 
upon  the  soil,  and  one  can  pass 
from  the  colonnade  to  the  plot 
of  ground  in  the  area  intervening 
between  the  columns;  while  in  the 
second,  the  pillars  or  columns  are  always  placed  on  a 
pedestal,  or  a  parapet,  separating  the  gallery  from  the 
open  ground,  and  only  interrupted  by  rare  breaks  serv- 
ing as  exits.  This  latter  disposition  and  the  lowness 
of  the  columns  are  characteristic  of  cloisters  in  the 
West,  and  form  a  particular  style  of  architecture,  which 
has  less  connection  with  the  courts  enclosed  by  porticoes 
of  the  Romans." 

Location  of         The  cloisters  were  enclosed  by  the  church  and  the 
ten.  other  principal  buildings  of  the  monastery,  —  the  refec- 

tory, the  dormitory,  and  the  chapter-house,  —  just  as 
the  classic  peristyle  was  surrounded  by  the  living 
rooms  occupied  in  common  by  the  family.  These 
cloisters  were  ordinarily  placed  south  of  the  church 
in  order  that,  unshadowed  by  its  lofty  walls,  the 


SPANISH  GARDEN  COURTS,  GRENADA. 


MONASTIC   GARDENS 


53 


OURT  OF  THE  LTON& :  THE  ALHAMBRA 


monks  might  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  sun  as  they 
paced  up  and  down  the  corridor  reciting  their  prayers, 
or  sat  on  the  benches  either  studying  religious   books 
or  wrapped    in    contempla- 
tion.    Ostensibly  they  were 
absorbed  in  their  devotions, 
but     in     reality     "  carnal " 
thoughts    often    crept    into 
their  minds  and  were  whis- 
pered about;  hence  forbid- 
den gossiping  in  the  corners  of  the  cloisters  often  gave 
occasion  for  doing  penance. 

"  The  diversity  of  the  dwellings  and  offices  around 
the  cloisters,"  says  Guillaume  Durand,  "signifies  the 
diversity  of  the  dwellings  and  recompenses  in  the 
heavenly  kingdom.  '  For  in  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions,'  said  the  Saviour.  And  in  the 
moral  sense  the  cloister  represents  the  contemplation 
into  which  the  soul  withdraws  itself  and  hides,  after 
being  separated  from  the  crowd  of  carnal  thoughts, 
and  where  it  reflects  upon  the  only  real  blessings  — 
those  of  heaven.  Around  these  cloisters  are  four  walls 
symbolizing  contempt  for  oneself,  contempt  for  the 
world,  love  of  one's  neighbour,  and  love  of  God." 

The  walls  of  the  cloister  were   usually  painted   with  The  cloister 
frescoes  representing  scenes  from  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments, as  those  of  the  peristyle  had  been  decorated 


walls. 


54 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  cloister- 
garth. 


The  well. 


with  mythological  subjects,  landscapes,  and  garlands 
of  flowers.  On  the  walls  of  the  Campo  Santo  at 
Pisa  are  some  charming  fourteenth-century  frescoes, 
showing  groups  of  people  sitting  and  standing  in  an 
earthly  paradise.  Their  surroundings  are  especially 
interesting,  including  a  graceful  hexagonal  fountain  with 
conventional  flowers  in  the  foreground,  and  orange 
and  oak  trees  forming  a  charming  background  to  the 
picturesque  figures. 

The  grass  plot  in  the  midst  of  the  cloisters  was 
sometimes  called  paradise,  signifying  to  the  monks, 
according  to  Wiclif,  the  greenness  of  their  virtues. 
This  verdant  square  was  often  thickly  studded  with 
flowers  as  represented  in  early  manuscript  illuminations. 
The  flowers  were  under  the  charge  of  the  sacristan, 
and  were  intended  to  be  used  by  him  to  decorate  the 
church  at  festivals  and  incidentally  to  give  pleasure 
to  the  eye  when  growing.  Two  paths  crossing  each 
other  at  right  angles  divided  the 
grass  plot  into  quarters,  and  some- 
times at  their  intersection  was  a 
tree,  symbolizing  to  the  brethren  the 
ladder  by  which,  in  gradations  of  vir- 
tue, they  aspired  to  celestial  things. 
More  often,  however,  perhaps  be- 
cause cleanliness  comes  next  to  godliness,  there  was, 
in  the  centre,  a  savina,  or  tub  of  water,  for  washing 


GOTHIC  FOUNTAIN,  FROM  AN  EARLY  TAPESTRY. 


MONASTIC   GARDENS 


55 


purposes,  or  the   simplest   form   of   well,    like   the  one 

9 

reproduced  from  an  early  manuscript ;  at  a  later  period 
this  was  replaced  by  a  more  elaborate,  carved  stone  well- 
head, or  a  fountain  of  drinking  water,  which  became 
the  most  important  architectural  feature  and  ornament 
of  the  courtyard,  whether  designed  in  the  Gothic  or 
Renaissance  style.  The  water 
was  drawn  up  in  a  bucket 
suspended  by  a  rope  rolling  on 
a  pulley ;  this  involved  an  iron 
support  to  the  pulley,  which 
was  often  ornamentally  forged, 
as  appears  in  the  illustration 
of  a  well  in  the  cloisters  at 
the  Certosa  near  Florence. 


The  plan  of    the  ancient   monastery   of    St.  Gall    in  Plan  of  the 

monastic 

Switzerland,  familiar  to   Charlemagne,  still   exists,  and  gardens  at 

St.  Gall. 

supplies  much  information  as  to  the  arrangement  of  a 
large  religious  establishment  belonging  to  the  Bene- 
dictines in  the  ninth  century.  Probably  few  altera- 
tions were  made,  except  in  details,  during  the  later 
Middle  Ages.  Its  name  commemorates  the  Irish  mis- 
sionary before  whom,  at  a  still  earlier  time,  "  the 
spirits  of  flood  and  fell  fled  wailing  over  the  waters 
of  Lake  Constance."  The  monastery  was  placed  in  a 
valley,  and  the  cultivated  grounds  within  the  walls 
consisted  of  four  divisions:  the  cloister-garth,  the 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  clois- 
ters. 


The  physic 
garden. 


The  kitchen 
garden. 


The  ceme- 
tery. 


physic  garden,  the  vegetable  garden,  and  a  combination 
of  orchard  and  burial  ground. 

The  cloister-garth  was  a  square,  planted  with  grass 
and  possibly  shrubs,  divided  by  two  intersecting  paths 
into  four  equal  quarters.  In  the 
centre  was  a  savina,  supplying  water 
for  drinking  .,and  washing  purposes. 
These  cloisters  were  south  of  the 
church,  and  surrounded  by  the  other 
more  important  communal  buildings. 
For  obviously  logical  reasons,  the 
physic  garden  was  placed  close  beside  the  house  of 
the  medical  attendant.  It  was  laid  out  in  sixteen 
oblong  beds,  severally  containing  peppermint,  rosemary, 
white  lilies,  sage,  rue,  corn-flag,  pennyroyal,  fenngreek, 
roses,  watercress,  cummin,  lovage,  tansy,  kidney  bean, 
fennel,  or  savory.  All  of  these  were  regarded  as  herbs 
useful  for  medicinal  purposes. 

The  kitchen  garden  was  necessarily  on  a  larger 
scale  and  contained  eighteen  oblong  beds  of  identical 
shape,  each  planted  with  a  different  kind  of  vegetable 
or  pot-herb:  onion,  garlic,  parsley,  coriander,  chervil, 
dill,  lettuce,  poppy,  savory,  radish,  parsnip,  carrot, 
cabbage,  beet,  leek,  shallot,  celery,  or  corn-cockle.  Near 
by  was  the  house  of  the  head  gardener  or  hortulanus. 
In  the  burial  ground,  trees  and  shrubs  were  planted 
in  the  spaces  between  the  graves,  and  must  have 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  57 

produced  the  ornamental  effect  which  in  this  connec- 
tion we  are  apt  to  consider  as  modern.  Mentioned  as 
growing  there  were  apple,  pear,  plum,  service  medlar, 
fig,  quince,  peach,  hazelnut,  almond,  chestnut,  wralnut, 
laurel,  and  pine  trees.  Amidst  such  a  luxuriance  of 
foliage  the  graves  must  have  been  almost  hidden 
from  view. 

Alexander  Neckam,  an  Augustinian  monk  living  in  Alexander 
the  twelfth  century,  is  the  earliest  English  writer  on  gardens, 
gardens.  In  his  "  De  Naturis  Rerum "  he  describes 
the  herbs,  trees,  and  flowers  growing  in  a  noble 
garden ;  but  his  list  can  hardly  be  taken  to  apply 
literally  to  plants  then  flourishing  in  England,  for 
neither  the  pomegranates,  almonds,  dates,  oranges,  nor 
lemons  mentioned  by  him  could  have  survived  there 
out  of  doors.  On  the  other  hand,  "  the  drowsy  poppy," 
the  daffodil,  and  brank  ursin  (acanthus),  peony,  violet, 
rose,  marigold,  and  lily,  among  other  flowers  he  cites, 
we  may  well  believe  were  grown  in  many  gardens,  as 
they  are  also  described  in  the  oldest  English  herbaries. 

Battle  Abbey,  the  first  great  monastery  in  England  Battle 
founded  after  the  Norman  Conquest,  belonged  to  the 
Benedictine  order,  and  was  originally  called  "  La 
Bataille."  William  the  Conqueror  ordered  it  to  be 
built  on  the  site  of  the  decisive  conflict  between  the 
Norman  and  Anglo-Saxon  armies,  in  fulfilment  of  his 
vow,  made  as  the  battle  raged,  that  if  God  should 


58  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

grant  him  the  victory,  a  splendid  chantry  should 
be  erected  for  the  souls  of  the  slain.  The  high  altar 
is  said  to  mark  the  spot  where,  in  the  thick  of 
the  fiercest  fighting,  Harold,  the  king,  was  killed 
and  his  body  found  by  his  betrothed,  after  nightfall. 
The  Abbey  A  step  away  from  this  historic  spot,  stretching  be- 

gardens.  . 

tween  it  and  the  restored  rums,  of  the  monastery,  are 
some  beautiful  modern  gardens  laid  out  by  the  late 
Duchess  of  Cleveland.  The  stiff,  geometrical  patterns 
of  the  parterre,  bedded  out  with  geraniums  and  edged 
with  box,  produce  an  effect  harmonious  with  the 
building,  although  they  are  utterly  unlike  the  homely 
plantations  formerly  cultivated  by  the  monks.  Another 
attractive  arrangement  is  the  terrace  walk  of  grass  in- 
tersected by  gravel  paths  beside  the  Abbey,  with  em- 
brasures in  the  thick  wall  for  seats,  where,  walking  or 
sitting,  one  overlooks  a  wonderful  stretch  of  woodlands 
and  downs  once  traversed  by  William  and  his  army. 
Cistercian  The  Cistercians  also,  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
the  Benedictines,  as  theirs  was  an  offshoot  of  the 
older  order,  did  much  to  further  the  progress  of 
horticulture  on  the  continent  and  in  England.  Their 
monasteries,  as  conspicuously  bare  of  decoration  as  the 
Benedictines',  were  built  in  the  hollows  of  valleys,  where 
culture  could  fertilize  the  soil,  and  where  there  was  an 
abundance  of  water  to  irrigate  the  land.  St.  Bernard 
founded  the  most  famous  of  all  their  communities  in 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  59 

the  wild  and  gloomy  valley  of  Clairvaux,  beside  a  clear 
stream  running  through  the  midst  of  a  thick  forest. 
An  ardent  lover  of  nature,  "  Trust  one  who  has  tried  it," 
he  wrote ;  "  you  will  find  more  in  woods  than  in  books, 
trees  and  stones  will  teach  you  what  you  can  never 
learn  from  school-masters."  One  of  the  most  sacred 
spots  in  the  monastery,  now  sadly  deprived  of  all  its 
ancient  glory,  was  a  little  plot  of  ground  whose  culti- 
vation was  his  especial  care.  Large  gardens  belonging 
to  the  community  lay  within  the  cloisters,  and  outside 
others  stretched  over  clearings  in  the  forest,  covering 
many  acres.  The  several  divisions  of  ground  were 
separated  by  intersecting  canals  supplied  by  the  river 
Alba.  A  glowing  description  of  the  orchard  by  a 
twelfth-century  writer  is  worth  quoting:  — 

"  If  thou  desire  to  know  the  situation  of  Clairvaux, 

.    .  the  twelfth 

let  those  writings  be  to  thee  as  a  mirror.  .  .  .  I  hen  century, 
the  back  part  of  the  Abbey  terminates  in  a  broad 
plain,  no  small  portion  of  which  a  wall  occupies,  which 
surrounds  the  Abbey  with  its  extended  circuit.  Within 
the  enclosure  of  this  wall  many  and  various  trees, 
prolific  in  various  fruits,  constitute  an  orchard  resem- 
bling a  wood.  Which,  being  near  the  cell  of  the  sick, 
lightens  the  infirmities  of  the  brethren  with  no 
moderate  solace,  while  it  affords  a  spacious  walking 
place  to  those  who  walk,  and  a  sweet  place  for  re- 
clining to  those  who  are  overheated.  The  sick  man 


60  ENGLISH   PLEASURE   GARDENS 

sits  upon  the  green  sod,  and  while  the  inclemency  of 
Sirius  burns  up  the  earth  with  his  pitiless  star,  and 
dries  up  the  rivers,  he  (the  sick  man)  tempers  the 
glowing  stars,  under  leaves  of  the  trees,  into  se- 
curity and  concealment  and  shade  from  the  heat  of 
the  day;  and  for  the  comfort  of  his  pain  the  various 
kinds  of  grass  are  fragrant  to  his  nostrils,  the  pleasant 
verdure  of  the  herbs  and  trees  gratifies  his  eyes,  and 
their  immense  delights  are  present  hanging  and 
growing  before  him,  so  that  he  may  say  not  without 
reason,  '  I  sat  under  the  shade  of  that  tree,  which  I 
had  longed  for,  and  its  fruit  was  sweet  to  my  throat.' 
The  concert  of  the  coloured  birds  soothes  his  ears 
with  their  soft  melody ;  and  for  the  cure  of  our  ill- 
ness, the  Divine  tenderness  provides  many  consola- 
tions, while  the  air  smiles  with  bright  serenity,  the 
earth  breathes  with  fruitfulness,  and  he  himself  drinks 
in  with  his  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils  the  delights  of 
colours,  songs,  and  odours." 

Carthusian         The  Carthusians,  belonging  to  an  order  founded  by 
ties.  St.    Bruno   in    1084,   dwelt   in   monasteries   planned  to 

isolate,  as  completely  as  possible,  each  member  of  the 
community.  This  was  to  fulfil  the  rules  peculiar  to  their 
order,  obliging  them  to  live  in  absolute  silence  and  soli- 
tude. Each  of  the  brethren,  like  the  Egyptian  monks, 
occupied  a  detached  cottage,  to  which  was  added  in  the 
twelfth  century  a  small  garden  cultivated  by  its  tenant. 


GOTHIC  FOUNTAIN  IN  THE  CLOISTER-GARTH,  NEWSTEAD  ABUEY. 
PHOTOGRAPH  BY  R.  KEENE. 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  61 

Numbers  of  these  cottages  and  gardens  surrounded  the 
cloisters  and  obviated  the  necessity  of  having  large  pieces 
of  ground  under  cultivation. 

Among   the  orders  of   friars   were    the    Dominicans,  The 

fri&rs. 

founded  by  the  Spanish  Dominic,  and  the  Franciscans, 
by  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
Both  lived  according  to  different  lights  from  the  monks, 
despised  all  luxury,  and  took  less  pride  in  owning  beauti- 
ful buildings  and  fine  plantations.  Wanderers  over  the 
country,  preaching  and  begging  for  food  wherever  they 
happened  to  stop,  unlike  the  members  of  other  orders, 
the  friars  required  but  small  establishments,  and  few 
cultivated  acres  for  their  food  supply. 

An  interesting  abbey  of  exceptional  beauty,  once  be-  Newstead 

Abbev 

longing  to  the  Dominicans,  or  Black  Friars,  as  they  were 
called  from  the  colour  of  their  habits,  is  still  standing  at 
Newstead  on  the  former  estate  of  Lord  Byron.  Although 
altered  in  many  of  its  details,  the  lay  of  the  land  is  un- 
changed, and  the  general  effect  is  probably  much  the 
same  as  in  the  time  of  the  friars.  A  large,  square  sheet 
of  water,  called  the  Eagle  Pond,  remains  untouched,  and 
near  it  is  the  old  "stew,"  where  fish  were  bred  for  the 
friars'  consumption  ;  while  the  cloisters,  restored  by  their 
present  owners,  and  containing  a  good  reproduction  of  a 
Gothic  fountain  in  a  square  plot  of  grass,  retain  their 
conventual  character. 

Once  battlemented  walls  are  supposed  to  have  enclosed 


62 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  Eagle 
Pond. 


The  par-       the  ground  northeast  of  the  Abbey  now  occupied  by  two 
the  Abbey,     parterres  of  flowers,  edged  with  box  and  a  square  of  grass 

planted  with  yew  trees, 
shading  a  monument  to 
the  poet's  favourite  dog. 
Byron  himself  would  also 
have  been  buried  here,  if  his 
wish  had  not  been  disre- 
garded on  the  supposition 
that  this  was  not  holy 
ground ;  though,  in  fact,  as 

the  monks'  cemetery,  it  had  been  consecrated  long  before. 
Formerly,  kitchen  and  physic  gardens  would  naturally 
have  been  placed  within  the  ancient  enclosure  where 
now  are  two  box-bordered  squares  of  flowers.  Both 
are  freely  planted  with  all  sorts  of  common  annuals 
and  perennials,  —  larkspur,  bachelor's  buttons,  foxglove, 
and  the  like,  —  giving  them  the  same  delightful  appear- 
ance as  the  quaint,  old-fashioned  gardens  in  New  England. 
Outside  the  walls,  but  as  was  frequently  the  case,  within 
bow-shot  for  the  sake  of  their  protection,  lies  the  large 
oblong  sheet  of  water  known  as  the  Eagle  Pond.  Its 
name  is  derived  from  a  brass,  eagle-shaped  lectern,  prob- 
ably hidden  by  the  friars  at  the  time  of  the  dissolution  of 
their  order  by  King  Henry  VIII,  and  discovered  centuries 
afterward  lying  at  the  bottom  of  this  pond.  The  broad, 
green  margin  of  grass  is  a  characteristic  feature,  while 


MONASTIC   GARDENS  63 

the  summit  of  the  bank,  laid  out  in  rectangular  beds  of 
flowers  alternating  with  rectangular  grass  plots  each  sur- 
rounding a  walnut  tree,  is  an  unusually  charming  for- 
mal arrangement.  In  a  plan  of  the  Abbey  made  at  the 
time  it  was  sold,  about  fifty  years  ago,  this  scheme  of 
planting  is  shown  to  have  been  the  same  as  now,  and  it 
probably  dates  back  to  a  much  earlier  period.  A  twelfth- 
century  description  of  a  similar  piece  of  water  helps  us 
to  picture  its  part  in  the  lives  of  the  monks :  — 

"  Here,  also,  a  beautiful  spectacle  is  exhibited  to  the 
infirm  brethren  ;  while  they  sit  upon  the  green  margin 
of  the  huge  basin,  they  see  the  little  fishes  playing  under 
the  water,  and  representing  a  military  encounter  by  swim- 
ming to  meet  each  other.  This  water  serves  the  double 
duty  of  supporting  the  fish  and  watering  the  vegetables." 

A  break  in  the  wall  beside  the  walk,  above  the  pond,  is 
well  contrived  to  give  a  glimpse  of  the  fine  trees  in  the 
beautiful  park  outside  the  enclosure.  Here,  perhaps,  the 
abbot  was  wont  to  chase  the  hart,  for  the  ecclesiastics  of  The  monks 
old  were  very  fond  of  hunting.  The  Bishop  of  Worcester 
writes  in  1030  to  his  brother  bishop  of  St.  David's,  who 
had  promised  him  six  couples  of  good  sporting  dogs,  say- 
ing that  "  his  heart  languished  for  their  arrival,"  and  con- 
tinuing with  the  following  entreaty :  "  Let  them  come,  O 
reverend  father,  without  delay.  Let  my  woods  reecho 
with  the  music  of  their  cry  and  the  cheerful  notes  of  the 
horn,  and  let  the  walls  of  my  castle  be  decorated  with  the 
trophies  of  the  chase." 


64 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  orchard. 


Other  en- 
closures. 


Wild 
gardens. 


LEADEN  5TATUE  AT  NLWSTEAD 


An  orchard  was  recently  laid  out  beyond  the  Eagle 
Pond    after    some    overgrown    bushes     and    half-dead 

trees  had  been  cleared  away 
from  its  site.  One  of  the 
main  grass  paths  separating 
the  plantation  into  four  sec- 
tions is  ornamented  by  two 
old  leaden  statues.  These 
images  of  a  faun  and  his 
mate  were  supposed  by  the 
ignorant  country  folk  to 
have  been  worshipped  by  the 
uncle  of  the  poet,  popularly 
known  as  the  wicked  Lord  Byron. 

Other  walled  enclosures  contain  a  rosary  and  a  de- 
lightful flower-bordered  kitchen  garden.  Their  general 
arrangement  is  as  simple  as  possible,  but  the  position 
and  design  of  the  seats  and  fountains,  and  the  plant- 
ing of  the  beds,  are  contrived  with  so  much  taste  and 
skill  that  the  effect  produced  is  exceptionally  charming. 
Beautiful  plantations  of  exotics,  row  upon  row  of 
rare  Japanese  iris,  Alpine  gardens  and  thickets  of 
bamboo,  are  also  well  worth  a  visit.  Taken  as  a 
whole,  the  gardens  at  Newstead  are  extraordinarily 
interesting  as  showing  great  variety  of  treatment  and 
as  containing  a  collection  of  distinct  types,  each  brought 
near  perfection.  To  their  beauty  a  weird  charm  is 


5» 

\A, 


*£<te# 


H f- 


SECTION    ON 


MONASTIC   GARDENS 


STATUE:  NE.W5TEAD 


decay  of 
their  gar- 
dens. 


added  by  recollections  of  the  sacrilegious  Byrons  and 
their  pious  predecessors.  Shades  of  the  friars  seem 
to  flit  in  and  out  among  the  more  substantial  figures 
of  the  lame  poet  and  his  friends,  whose  favourite 
diversion  was  to  masquerade  in  monkish  raiment. 

Newstead,  with  many  another  monastery,  lost  much  The  dissoiu- 
of    the   glory   of    its   original    gardens   at    the    time    of  monasteries 

1  •  1  f       T  T 

its  dissolution  by  command  of   Henry 
VIII.     Few   others   like   it,  however, 
have  been  restored  and  laid  out  again 
along  their  former  lines.     The  curse, 
said    to   have   been    invoked    by    the 
monks  upon  their  despoilers,  is  com- 
monly believed    to   prevent   monastic 
lands    from    being    handed    down    in 
direct    succession.      This   seems   idle 
superstition,    but    it    is    strange    how 
often    such    property   changes    hands, 
and  how  seldom  are   left  any  traces  of   the    monastic 
gardens.    At  Shrublands  there  are  some  fine  old  Spanish 
chestnut  trees,  said  to  have  been  imported  by  the  monks 
and  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  in  the  country.     Here 
and  there,  in   different   places,  are    the    outlines  of  an 
ancient  stew-pond  as  at  Harley-on-Thames  and  at  Hat- 
ton  Grange,  or  a  portion  of  the  cloisters  once  enclosing 
the  garth  as  at  Ashridge ;  but  elsewhere  in  England  it 
is  difficult  to  discover  more  than  a  few  scattered  remains. 


IN  A,PLEASAUNCE 


Norman  in- 
novations 
and  their 
antecedents. 


Charle- 
magne's 
gardens. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE   MEDI/EVAL   PLEASAUNCE 

NGLO-SAXON  ways  of  living  were 
greatly  altered  by  the  advent  of  the 
Normans  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
eleventh  century.  Gallo-Roman,  unlike 
Britanno-Roman,  civilization  had  never 
wholly  died  out  even  during  the  Dark  Ages ;  hence  in 
arts  and  crafts  the  invaders  came  prepared  to  teach  the 
inhabitants  of  England  many  new  and  important  lessons. 
After  the  withdrawal  of  the  Romans,  the  Prankish  kings 
had  continued  to  build  villas  in  imitation  of  the  clas- 
sic style,  to  which  gardens  were  often  attached.  But 
of  these  gardens  no  detailed  description  written  before 
the  time  of  Charlemagne  is  extant.  Then,  in  812  A.D., 
that  emperor's  capitularies  were  published,  giving  par- 
ticular directions  concerning  the  maintenance  of  his 
numerous  orchards  and  gardens.  In  the  long  list  of 

66 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  67 

vegetation  he  wished  to  have  -cultivated  he  mentions, 
among  other  flowers :  lilies,  roses,  and  poppies,  besides 
naming  many  fruit  trees  equally  familiar  to  us.  "We 
desire,"  he  dictated,  "that  in  the  garden  there  should 
be  all  kinds  of  plants." 

The  Carolingian  orchard  and  garden  were  practi- 
cally one  and  the  same.  It  was  often  the  scene  of 
the  May-field  and  of  other  important  assemblies,  as 
well  as  of  the  more  homely  events  of  daily  life.  Here 
Charlemagne  is  described  as  receiving  the  ambassa- 
dors  from  the  last  pagan  king  of  Spain.  It  must 
have  been  an  impressive  sight.  "  Fifteen  thousand 
Frenchmen  wearing  satin  tunics  are  stretched  upon  the 
white  carpet.  The  king  is  seated  on  a  massive  golden 
throne,  from  which  he  overlooks  all  the  barons  with 
an  almost  priestly  gravity;  then  suddenly  the  ten  infi- 
dels enter  the  garden  and  make  their  way  slowly 
through  the  crowd ;  they  are  mounted  on  white  mules 
with  bridles  of  gold  and  saddles  of  silver.  They  carry 
olive  branches  in  their  hands,  Eastern  fashion,  as  a 
token  of  peace.  It  is  a  scene  worthy  of  Virgil." 

"  Le  roi  Charles  est  en  un  grand  verger, 
Avec  lui  sont  Roland  et  Olivier  .  .  . 
Ils  sont  assis  sur  des  tapis  blancs  .  .  . 

Sous  un  pin,  pres  d'un  £glantier 

Est  un  fauteuil  d'or  massif, 

C'est  la  qu'est  assis  le  roi  qui  tient  douce  France." 

—  "Chanson  de  Roland." 


68  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Norman  pre-  In  architecture,  as  well  as  horticulture,  the  Normans 
architecture,  excelled  the  Anglo-Saxons  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest. 
The  fortalices  and  monasteries  first  built  by  the  conquer- 
ors were  a  decided  improvement  on  any  previous  erec- 
tions in  England.  These,  however,  were  not  the  castles 
of  which  ruins  now  remain,  but  merely  wooden  towers  or 
keeps,  sometimes  strengthened  by  palisades  and  ditches, 
used  for  defending  important  strategic  positions  for- 
merly surmounted  with  earthworks  by  the  Danes  and 
Saxons.  But,  until  the  Normans  had  subdued  the  entire 
country,  home  life  was  an  impossibility,  and  there  was 
no  occasion  for  domestic  architecture.  Thus,  while  the 
early  monasteries  were  substantial  stone  buildings,  com- 
monly situated  in  the  broadest  and  most  fertile  val- 
leys, castles  were  ruder  structures,  generally  erected  on 
windy  hilltops,  where  their  inmates  devoted  both  time 
and  space  to  projects  for  offence  and  defence.  To  har- 
bour in  these  bare  strongholds  such  a  peaceful  pursuit 
as  gardening  would  have  been  impracticable.  After 
a  few  years,  the  danger  of  insurrection  having  lessened, 
the  Normans  replaced  their  first  wooden  structures 
by  permanent  castles  built  of  stone.  Still  until  the 
twelfth  century  the  times  were  far  from  peaceful, 
and  although  agriculture  and  horticulture  were  among 
the  favourite  occupations  of  the  Normans,  these  cannot 
have  flourished  extensively  outside  of  monastic  pre- 
cincts. At  Deeping,  however,  ancient  records  show 


CASTLE  WITH  TERRACE  WALKS,  FROM  THE  "ROMAN  DE  LA  ROSE.' 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  69 

that  a  garden  was  laid  out  on  the  site  of  a  ruined 
Roman  villa  by  one  of  William  the  Conqueror's  fol- 
lowers. A  few  other  gardens  probably  existed  under 
exceptionally  favouring  circumstances,  although  fre- 
quently threatened  with  devastation.  But  as  an  abun- 
dance and  variety  of  fish  and  game  took  the  place  of 
vegetables  in  the  diet  of  the  upper  classes,  except  in 
monasteries,  horticulture  was  of  no  vital  importance. 

A  miniature  on  one  of  the  pages  of  a  beautiful  fif-  A  Norman 
teenth-century  manuscript  of  the  "  Roman  de  la  Rose,"  portrayed  in 
belonging  to  the  British  Museum,  represents  a  Norman 
castle  of  the  earliest  substantial  design.  Here  the 
massive  stone  keep,  strongly  protected  by  double  crenel- 
lated walls,  and  by  both  an  inner  and  outer  moat,  is 
intended  as  a  representation  of  the  Louvre  in  the  time 
of  Philip  Augustus.  Then  a  marvellous  treasure  was 
guarded  there,  symbolized  in  the  romance  as  the 
Rose.  Hedges  of  roses,  in  extraordinarily  full  bloom, 
line  the  walks  beneath  the  ramparts.  Underneath,  the 
moats  are  deep  enough  to  have  contained  a  large  sup- 
ply of  carp  to  feed  the  garrison,  and  sufficiently  broad 
to  have  permitted  swans,  also  often  eaten,  to  sail  freely 
about  on  the  surface  of  their  smooth  waters. 

During  a  truce  of  hostilities,  life  in  such  a  feudal 
castle  must  have  been  as  dull  and  isolated  as  on  board 
a  sailing  vessel  becalmed  at  sea.  The  bored  passengers 
crowding  on  deck  to  watch  a  flock  of  sea-gulls  devouring 


70  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Plants  as  a    scraps  of  food  suggest  the  listless  lord   in  a  mediaeval 

diversion. 

poem,  seeking  distraction  by  tossing  bread  and  grain 
to  the  swans  from  his  castle  window  into  the  moat 
below.  Then,  especially  to  the  chatelaine  and  her 
women,  a  few  plants  must  often  have  afforded  as  much 
diversion  as  the  little  flower  whose  care  saved  the  reason 
of  an  imprisoned  patriot  and  gave^its  name  to  the  Italian 
story  "  Picciola." 
Berkeley  Of  the  early  Anglo-Norman  style  of  architecture, 

Castle 

Berkeley  Castle  is  perhaps  the  most  complete  example 
now  existing.  The  keep  is  said  to  date  from  the  time 
of  William  the  Conqueror.  The  whole  castle  is  still 
inhabited  and  preserved  in  almost  its  original  condition. 
Around  the  massive  building  runs  a  terrace  intended 
both  for  a  walk  and  to  prevent  the  walls  from  being 
mined  by  besiegers.  One  of  these  terraces,  covered 
with  grass  and  flanked  by  an  ancient  yew  hedge  clipped 
in  the  shape  of  rude  battlements,  forms  a  quaint  bowl- 
ing green.  How  long  it  has  been  laid  out  as  such 
is  unknown,  but  probably  for  several  centuries. 
Terrace  Terraces,  like  the  one  adjoining  these  battlements, 

walks. 

were,  in  those  tumultuous  times,  the  only  safe  place  for 
the  ladies  to  enjoy  an  airing.  A  portion  was  often  re- 
served for  their  especial  use,  and,  as  at  Castle  Carlisle, 
called  the  Ladies'  Walk.  There,  at  a  much  later  period, 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  when  captive  was  allowed  to  take 
her  exercise.  At  Bridgnorth,  a  pleasant  terrace  walk, 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  71 

much  admired  by  Charles  I,  encircles  the  ancient  castle 
walls  and  is  more  than  half  a  mile  in  compass.  On 
the  borders  of  such  a  terrace,  beside  the  hedge,  a  few 
herbs  were  usually  cultivated  by  the  chatelaine  to  be 
used  in  sickness,  or  to  make  a  poignant  sauce  for  whet- 
ting the  satiated  appetite. 

At  last  the  comparative  cessation  of  internal  warfare  The  devei- 

•  -11  opment  of 

permitted  the  precincts  of  the  castle  to  become  still  less  the  picas- 
restricted  without  loss  of  security.     Then  the  pleasaunce  France, 
(developing  from  the  terrace  walk  containing  the  little 
collection    of  herbs  already  described)  began    to   enjoy 
a  less  precarious  existence.     In  France,  earlier  than  in 
England,  its  form  became  more  clearly  defined,  and,  by 
covering  more  area,  answered  more  varied  requirements. 
From  contemporary  documents  its  appearance  has  been 
reconstructed  and  described   in  detail    by   M.   Georges 
Riat  in  "  L'Art  des  Jardins  " :  — 

"  In  the  twelfth  century  the  garden  was  habitually  sit-  Description 

of  atwelfth- 

uated  outside  the  ramparts,  and  was  entered  from  the  century 
castle  by  a  secret  door  in  the  fortifications.  Later  gar- 
dens, answering  to  the  following  description,  were  laid  out 
in  the  courtyards  of  most  seigneurial  habitations.  A 
fence,  when  the  garden  was  in  the  courtyard,  or  palisades, 
when  it  was  outside,  surrounded  it.  A  low  wall,  built 
in  three  parts  so  as  to  furnish  a  back  for  a  grass-covered 
seat,  formed  a  frame  for  intimate  conversations.  In  a 
corner,  a  fountain  in  the  Gothic  style  often  served  to 


72  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

water  the  parterre  and  the  greensward.  Sometimes  a 
round  flower-bed  might  be  found  in  the  middle  of  the 
pr'eaux  (pratelli\  or  flowered  parterre.  On  the  sides 
were  cradle-shaped  tunnels  and  trelliswork  fastened  to 
the  walls.  Sometimes  a  labyrinth,  or  house  of  Dadalus, 
twisted  its  tangled  paths  in  conflicting  directions. 

"  Flowers  grown  in  the  parterre,'or  in  pots  on  the  wall, 
brightened  the  enclosures.  Several  trees,  clipped  into 
balls,  gave  shade  and  freshness  to  the  air.  The  ingenuity 
of  the  gardener,  like  that  of  the  topiarius  of  ancient 
Rome,  was  exercised  in  clipping  the  shrubs  to  give  them 
geometric  forms.  Finally,  if  the  space  permitted,  there 
was  a  small  basin  of  water  for  fish  and  swans.  Great 
luxuries  were  to  have  an  aviary  for  game-birds  close 
by,  and  a  number  of  peacocks  strutting  about  under  the 
eyes  of  the  guests." 

oriental  Intercourse  with  Palestine  had  marked  effect  in  de- 

veloping the  gardens  of  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  cen- 
turies. Many  innovations  were  due  to  the  Crusaders, 
who,  in  the  peaceful  intervals  of  their  stay  in  the  Holy 
Land,  were  often  kindly  received  by  their  heathen 
adversaries  and  given  many  opportunities  to  study  Ori- 
ental luxuries  and  add  them  to  their  bare  homes  in 
England.  Not  only  the  so-called  Gothic  arch,  but  many 
minor  architectural  features  may  have  been  due  to  Ori- 
ental influence.  A  great  change  was  thus  brought  about 
in  the  details  as  well  as  in  the  general  style  of  European 


THE   MEDIAEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  73 

architecture,  and  its  result  was  shown,  not  only  in  the  way 
the  gardens  of  the  knights  hospitallers  were  laid  out,  but 
in  adding  to  the  ornamental  appearance  of  the  pleasaunce. 

"  Sos  sarmasane  avoit  un  vergi£  ondoiant 
De  cipr£s,  de  loriers ;  moult  sont  soef  flairant, 
Li  oisel  i  font  joie  et  demainent  lor  chant. 
Sous  ciel  n'avoit  ciere  ente  qui  n'y  fust  voirement." 

An  Oriental  garden  of  marvellous  beauty  was  described 
by  the  celebrated  Venetian  traveller,  Marco  Polo.  He 
visited  Palestine  in  the  thirteenth  century ;  but  the  gar- 
den he  speaks  of  with  such  admiration  had  already  been 
in  existence  for  probably  nearly  two  hundred  years.  It 
was  laid  out  for  the  famous  Prince  Hassan,  from 
whose  name  and  deeds  were  derived  the  words  assassin 
and  hasheesh.  He  was  also  called  the  Old  Man  of  the 

of  the  Moun- 

Mountain  because  he  dwelt  on  a  mountain-side,  where  he  tain's 
had  constructed  the  wonderful  garden  which  his  followers, 
bewildered  by  hasheesh,  confounded  with  a  heavenly 
paradise.  After  once  having  been  entranced  in  this 
elysium,  they  were  willing  to  become  assassins  and  to 
risk  their  lives  in  attempting  to  murder  Hassan's  enemies 
for  the  sake  of  being  rewarded  by  a  return  to  his  garden. 
The  identity  of  the  original  Old  Man  became  confused 
with  that  of  his  successors,  and  it  is  to  the  pleasure 
grounds  belonging  to  one  of  these  later  princes  that 
Marco  Polo  refers :  "  A  very  beautiful  garden  filled  with 
all  sorts  of  trees  and  fruits,  and  around  these  plantations 


74  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

stood  different  palaces  and  pavilions  decorated  with 
works  of  gold,  paintings,  and  furniture  all  in  silk.  There, 
in  the  little  canals,  one  saw  running  streams  of  wine,  milk, 
honey,  and  very  clear  water.  There  were  lodged  young 
girls,  perfectly  beautiful  and  charming,  who  were  in- 
structed to  play  on  all  sorts  of  musical  instruments ;  one 
saw  them  perpetually  walking  ih  these  gardens  and 
palaces." 

Another  description  of  a  similar  garden  appears  in  the 
so-called  "  Travels  "  of  Sir  John  Mandeville,  a  book  first 
written  in  French  and  then  translated  into  English  at 
the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  location  of  the 
garden  he  mentions  was  said  to  be  the  island  of  Milstrak. 
An  Oriental  "  That  isle  is  very  rich.  There  was  dwelling  not 

g&rden 

described  long  since  a  rich  man,  named  Gatholonabes,  who  was 
Mandsviiie.  full  of  tricks  and  subtle  deceits.  He  had  a  fair  and 
strong  castle  in  a  mountain,  so  strong  and  noble  that 
no  man  could  devise  a  fairer  or  a  stronger.  And  he  had 
caused  the  mountain  to  be  walled  about  with  a  strong 
and  fair  wall,  within  which  walls  he  had  the  fairest 
garden  that  might  be  imagined ;  and  therein  were  trees 
bearing  all  manner  of  fruits,  all  kinds  of  herbs  of  virtue 
and  of  good  smell,  and  all  other  herbs  also  that  bear 
fair  flowers.  And  he  had  also  in  that  garden  many  fair 
wells,  and  by  them  he  had  many  fair  halls  and  fair 
chambers,  painted  all  with  gold  and  azure,  representing 
many  divers  things  and  many  divers  stories.  There 


TENT  AND  FLOWERY  MEDE,  FROM  AN  EARLY  TAPESTRY. 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  75 

were  also  beasts  and  birds  which  sang  delectably  and 
moved  by  craft  that  it  seemed  they  were  alive." 

There  are  a  few   architectural    features    now   to   be  Architectu- 
ral features 

seen  in  English  gardens,  which  can  be  directly  attrib-  of  oriental 
uted  to  Oriental  influence.  Bath-houses,  for  instance, 
were  an  Oriental  luxury.  Edward  I  is  said  to  have 
imported  the  idea  of  their  use  from  Palestine,  and  to 
have  built  the  one  existing  near  Leeds  Castle  in  the 
thirteenth  century.  It  is  now  used  as  a  boat-house. 
Tents  were  another  accessory  to  a  garden  adopted  by 
the  Crusaders.  They  were  made  of  rich  tapestries,  for 
which  the  English  were  among  the  first  of  European 
nations  to  obtain  a  reputation.  Their  usual  form  is 
shown  in  the  illustration,  reproduced  from  one  of  a 
series  of  tapestries  in  the  Cluny  Museum. 

The  planting  of  the  Oriental  gardens  was  also  much 
admired  by  the  Crusaders,  and  had  its  influence  on 
European  horticulture. 

"  La  trovent  un  vergier  qui  fu  tous  ais  d'olive, 
Et  de  mout  riches  arbres  qui  sont  de  mainte  guisse, 
Et  li  vergiers  fu  jouenes  et  li  ante  florie." 

Oriental  flora  were  now  cultivated  throughout  the  west  importation 

of  Oriental 

and  north  of  Europe,  as  at  an  earlier  period  they  had  flora, 
penetrated  throughout   Italy  and  other  southern  coun- 
tries.    The  rose  and  the  lily,  both  flowers  of  Oriental 
origin,  had  reappeared  as  early  as  the  time  of  Aldhelm, 
the    eighth    century.      The    yellow    Persian    rose    was 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Improved 
conditions 
in  the 
thirteenth 
and  four- 
teenth cen- 
turies. 


especially  celebrated  by  the  ancient  Mussulman  writers, 
and  its  European  naturalization  is  said  to  date  from 
this  period.  Another  variety  known  as  the  rose  of 
Provence  was  brought  back  by  Thibaut  IV,  § Count  of 
Champagne,  to  Provins,  where  it  grew  until  recently 
in  the  suburbs  of  the  town.  The  name  of  the  rose 
of  Damascus,  or  damask  rose,  also  .^betokens  its  Eastern 
origin.  Not  long  ago  Syrian  daffodils  still  grew  upon 
the  ancient  site  of  Horseley  Castle,  and  Armenian 
violets  survived  in  several  places.  Many  other  exotics, 
now  considered  almost  as  native  plants  since  they  are 
so  familiarly  known  in  Europe,  were  the  fruit  of 
Crusaders'  pilgrimages  in  the  East.  . 

At  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  and  the  beginning  of 
the  fourteenth  century  the  connection  between  France 
and  England  was  very  intimate.  The  French  language 
was  spoken  by  the  upper  classes  in  both  countries ;  and 
as  to  manners  and  customs  in  general,  and  their  gar- 
dens in  particular,  the  same  fashions  prevailed,  although 
the  French  were  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  English. 
The  description  of  a  French  garden  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury would  answer  for  an  English  one  during  the  two 
following  centuries.  Under  the  rule  of  the  Plantage- 
nets  the  Anglo-Saxons  and  the  Normans  had  become 
fused  into  the  English  nation.  The  great  lords  of  both 
races  generally  dwelt  in  peace  with  each  other,  if  not 
always  with  their  kinsfolk  across  the  Channel,  and  as 


THE    MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  77 

has  been  said  the  Crusaders  added  much  to  their 
knowledge  of  how  to  live  luxuriously.  Frequently  at 
home  there  was  leisure  to  give  attention  to  domestic 
comfort  and  to  engage  in  the  peaceful  contests  of 
chivalry.  Then  the  castle,  becoming  more  than  a  bare 
fortress,  was  treated  as  a  commodious  residence  for  the 
lord  and  the  little  court  of  retainers  living  under  his 
protection.  Sometimes,  as  at  Tattershall,  in  one  house- 
hold, there  were  more  than  a  hundred  people. 

To  meet  the   new  requirements,  the  enceinte  of  the  Expansion 

of  castle 

castle  was  increased  sufficiently  to  include  within  its  grounds, 
walls  and  moat,  besides  more  spacious  living  rooms, 
stables,  outhouses,  tiltyards,  gardens,  and  orchards. 
At  Framlingham  the  outer  ballium,  reached  by  a  tim- 
ber bridge  from  the  postern,  is  shown  in  the  thirteenth- 
century  plan  to  have  been  laid  out  as  a  pleasaunce. 

"  The  grete  tour,  that  was  so  thikke  and  strong, 
Which  of  the  castel  was  the  chief  dongeoun, 
Was  evene  joynant  to  the  gardyn  wall." 

As  within  the  castle  the  wealthy  lord  sought  to  embel- 
lish the  great  hall,  which  often  took  the  place  of  the 
ancient  keep,  with  fine  tapestry,  richly  carved  furniture, 
and  elaborately  chased  armour,  so  outside  it  he  strove 
to  decorate  the  gardens  with  fountains,  arbours,  and 
perhaps  a  maze.  Often  such  a  lord 

"  Hadde,  bihinden  his  paleys, 
A  fair  gardin  of  nobleys, 


78  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Ful  of  appel-tres,  and  als  of  pine 

Foules  songe  therinne  murie. 

Amideward  that  gardyn  fre, 

So  wax  a  pinnote-tre 

That  had  fair  bowes  and  frut ; 

Ther  under  was  al  his  dedut 

He  made  ther-under  a  grene  bench, 

And  drank  ther  under  many  a  sschench  (cupful)." 

—  "The  Seven  Sages,"  WEBER,  III,  23. 

Culmination        Under    Edward    I    the    mediaeval    prosperity   of    the 

of  pros- 

perity  under  English  may  be  said  to  have  culminated.  It  declined 
under  the  weak  or  warlike  reigns  of  his  successors,  until 
during  the  Wars  of  the  Roses  much  that  civilization  had 
gained  seemed  to  have  been  lost. 

The  king's  "  The  improvement  in  husbandry  and  horticulture 
onhorticui-  was  as  satisfactory  as  the  advance  made  in  the  fine 
arts.  Here  the  influence  of  the  king  was  specially  felt. 
Though  engaged  in  war  or  busy  with  legislative  cares, 
Edward  found  time  to  attend  to  the  cultivation  of  his 
desmesnes  and  the  stocking  of  his  gardens  and 
orchards.  Strangely  mingled  with  the  demands  of  the 
campaign  against  the  Scots  or  with  the  requirements 
of  the  politician  or  the  pleasures  of  the  sportsman  are 
directions  to  procure  new  cuttings  of  fruit  trees  and 
seeds  of  vegetables  for  the  table.  Fruit  and  forest 
trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers  introduced  from  the  conti- 
nent were  naturalized  in  the  king's  gardens  or  in  those 
of  the  nobility  and  the  larger  religious  houses.  In 
*  stately  gardens '  both  the  lemon  and  orange  were 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  79 

common,  which  could  not  be  grown  without  artificial  heat. 
Many  of  these  were  neglected  and  forgotten  after  his 
death,  until  even  the  memory  of  them  so  completely 
passed  into  oblivion  that  their  reintroduction  after  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses  is  spoken  of  as  though  they  had 
never  been  known  before. 

"  Nor  were  the  triumphs  of  horticulture  limited  to  the  importation 

.      .         of  exotics. 

improvement  in  our  indigenous  fruits.  New  varieties 
were  introduced  at  this  time.  Figs,  oranges,  lemons, 
citrons,  almonds,  and  even  olives  are  noted  among  the 
fruits  growing  in  the  gardens  of  some  of  the  large  land- 
owners of  this  country.  These  natives  of  a  southern 
clime  could  not  have  ripened  their  fruits  unless  in  ex- 
ceptionally warm  seasons  or  by  means  of  hothouses  ;  the 
evidence,  however,  that  they  existed  is  overwhelming."1 

All  classes  of  people  now  seem  to  have  had  gardens.  Gardens  be- 


Those  belonging  to  the  king  were  principally  in  the  aii  classes 
neighbourhood  of  London,  at  Charing,  Westminster, 
Clarendon,  the  Tower,  and  at  Windsor  Castle.  In  them 
were  grown  peaches,  first  mentioned,  in  1276;  pears  and 
apples,  of  which  several  new  varieties  were  introduced  ; 
quinces  and  strawberries,  well  known  to  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  and  gooseberries,  which  seem  to  have  been  a 
novelty.  There  were  also  royal  vineyards  at  Windsor 
and  Westminster.  One  of  the  great  nobles,  De  Lacey, 
Earl  of  Lincoln,  cultivated  extensive  market  gardens 

1  "England  in  the  Fifteenth  Century."     Rev.  W.  Denton,  M.A. 


8o  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

on  the  top  of  Holborn  Hill  and  received  from  them  a 
considerable  revenue.  Fitzstephen,  in  his  life  of 
Thomas  a  Becket,  speaking  of  the  suburban  residences 
of  the  citizens  of  London,  says,  "  On  all  sides  outside 
the  houses  of  the  citizens  who  dwell  in  the  suburbs 
there  are  adjoining  gardens  planted  with  trees,  both 
spacious  and  pleasing  to  the  eye."  As  the  various 
colleges  were  founded,  vineyards  and  herbaria  (the 
beginnings  of  botanical  gardens)  were  laid  out  in  their 
neighbourhood,  so  that  by  the  early  part  of  the 
fourteenth  century  many  fine  orchards  and  gardens 
had  become  established,  not  only  by  the  religious  com- 
munities, but  by  the  secular  owners  of  the  land. 
John  de  Gar-  An  Englishman,  John  de  Garlande,  who  lived  in 

lande's  de- 

scriptionof    Paris  during  the  first   half   of   the   thirteenth    century, 

a  bourgeois  .  .  . 

garden.  gave  a  description  in  his  "  Dictionanus  of  the  contents 
of  a  town  garden  in  either  France  or  England.  "In 
Master  John's  garden  are  these  plants:  sage,  parsley, 
dittany,  hyssop,  celandine,  fennel,  pellitory,  the  rose,  the 
lily,  and  the  violet;  and  at  the  side  (i.e.  in  the  hedge) 
the  nettle  thistles  and  foxgloves.  His  garden  also 
contains  medicinal  herbs;  namely,  mercury  and  the 
mallow  agrimony,  with  nightshade  and  the  marigold." 
There  was  besides  a  garden  for  pot-herbs,  where  grew 
borage,  leeks,  garlic,  mustard,  onions,  cibols,  and  scallions ; 
and  in  his  shrubbery  grew  pimpernel,  mouse-ear,  self-heal, 
buglos,  adder's-tongue,  and  "  other  herbs  good  for  men's 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  81 

bodies."  In  the  fruit  garden  were  cherry,  pear,  apple, 
plum,  quince,  medlar,  peach,  chestnut,  walnut,  and  fig 
trees,  besides  grapes. 

The  following  fifteenth-century  description  by  Lyd- 
gate  of  a  rich  churl's  garden  gives  an  idea  of  the  arrange- 
ment in  many  smaller  gardens  a  century  before:  — 

"  Whilom  ther  was  in  a  smal  village,  The  garden 

As  myn  autor  makethe  rehersayle, 
A  chorle,  whiche  hadde  lust  and  a  grete  corage 
Within  hymself,  be  diligent  travayle 
To  array  his  gardeyn  with  notable  apparayle, 
Of  lengthe  and  brede  yelicke  square  and  longe, 
Hegged  and  dyked  to  make  it  sure  and  stronge. 

Alle  the  aleis  were  made  playne  with  sond, 
The  benches  turned  with  newe  turves  grene, 
Sote  herbers,  with  condite  at  the  honde, 
That  welled  up  agayne  the  sonne  schene, 
Lyke  silver  stremes  as  any  cristalle  clene 
The  burbly  wawes  in  up  boyling, 
Round  as  byralle  ther  beamys  out  shynyge." 

—  "  The  Chorle  and  the  Birde," 

JOHN  LYDGATE. 

Dining   in    the  garden    was   also   common    in  warm 

weather. 

"  Les  napes  metent  pardeanz  un  jardin." 

—  "  Mort  de  Garin,"  p.  28. 

Afterward  people  were  in  the  habit  of  playing  chess 
there,  as  we  see  them  in  a  garden  scene  reproduced 
from  the  "  Romance  of  Alexander."  Notwithstanding 


82 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Queen 
Eleanor's 
garden  at 
Woodstock. 


the  rudeness  of  many  of  their  habits,  and  their  fondness 
for  the  brutal  excitement  of  war  and  the  chase,  lives  of 
adventure  had  highly  developed  the  imaginations  of 

the  upper  classes,  and  given 
them  a  taste  for  living 
amidst  beautiful  surround- 
ings'. Then,  both  by  art  and 
nature,  people  seemed  made 
for  gardens,  and  gardens  for 
people  to  an  extent  which 
we  can  hardly  appreciate 
nowadays. 

The  Hardener. 

Above  all,  the  pleasaunce 

was  intended  for  the  diversion  of  the  chatelaine.  As 
early  as  1250  we  learn  from  a  contemporary  record  that 
Henry  III,  to  gratify  Eleanor  of  Provence,  ordered  his 
bailiff  at  Woodstock  "  to  make  round  about  the  garden 
of  our  Queen  two  walls  good  and  high  so  that  no  one 
can  enter,  with  a  well-ordered  herbary  befitting  her  posi- 
tion, near  our  fish-pond,  where  the  said  Queen  may 
roam  about  freely."  Here  she  might  have  meditated 
in  solitude  under  a  leafy  bower,  have  enjoyed  a  tete-a-tete 
with  a  bosom  friend  enthroned  on  a  turfed  seat,  or  in 
pleasant  company  have  paced  up  and  down  the  sanded 
alleys. 

As   an   agreeable   alternative  from  the  smoky  castle 
hall,  'the  pleasaunce  was  evidently  the  favourite  place  for 


CASTLE  GARDEN,  FROM  A  PICTURE  BY  DIERICK  BOUTTS. 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  83 

recreation.     It  was   often   chosen   for   giving   audience 
and  receiving  friends.     In  the  "  Romance  of  Garin    le  The 
Loherain  "  the  messenger  found  the  great  baron  seated 
in  a  garden  surrounded  by  his  friends. 

"  Trouva  Fromont  scant  en  un  jardin 
Environ  lui  avoit  de  ses  amins." 

"Roman  de  Garin,"  I,  282. 

There  entertainment  was  furnished  by  the  troubadours, 
who  sang  their  Chansons  de  Geste,  interspersed  with 
romances  of  the  Crusades,  of  prowess,  and  of  love ;  by 
the  jugglers  and  tumblers,  who  performed  wonderful 
tricks  and  gymnastic  feats ;  and  by  the  dancing-girls, 
whose  graceful  motions  were  of  an  Oriental  character. 
The  guests  themselves  also  frequently  carolled,  or 
danced  in  a  circle,  sang  songs,  and  played  upon 
musical  instruments  for  their  own  diversion. 

"  Tho  myghtist  thou  karoles  sene, 
And  folk  daunce  and  mery  bene, 
And  made  many  a  faire  tournyng 
Upon  the  grene  gras  springyng. 
There  myghtist  thou  se  these  flowtours, 
Mynstrales  and  eke  jogelours, 
That  wel  to  synge  dide  her  peyne, 
Somme  songe  songes  of  Loreyne ; 
For  in  Loreyn  her  notes  bee 
Full  swetter  than  in  this  contreV' 


Garland  weaving  was  a  favourite  occupation  for  Garland 
ladies.  Both  men  and  women  wore  chaplets  of  flowers  andweai 
on  festive  occasions,  and  they  were  also  given  as 


84  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

rewards  for  success  in  various  sports.  Chaucer  speaks 
of  the  month  of  May  as  especially  the  season  for 
weaving  garlands.  In  "  The  Pastime  of  Pleasure," 
La  Bel  Pucel  is  described  by  the  portress  at  the 
garden-gate  as  seated  within  thus  employed:  — 

"'Truly,'  quod  she,  'in  the  garden  grene 
Of  many  a  swete  and  sundry  flowre 
She  maketh  a  garlonde  that  is  veray  shene, 
Wythe  trueloves  wrought  in  many  a  coloure, 
Replete  with  sweteness  and  dulcet  odoure 
And  all  alone,  wythout  company, 
Amyddes  an  herber  she  sitteth  pleasauntly." 

And  again  she  is  described  weaving  a  chaplet  or 
wreath  to  be  worn  on  the  head. 

"  Besyde  which  fountayne  the  moost  fayre  lady 
La  Bel  Pucel  was  gayly  sittyng 
Of  many  floures  fayre  and  ryally 
A  goodly  chaplet  she  was  in  makynge." 

In  the  "  Lai  d'Aristote "  (Barbazon,  III,  105,  107) 
King  Alexander's  beautiful  mistress  is  described  as 
descending  early  in  the  morning,  walking  in  the 
garden  alone,  and  making  herself  a  chaplet  of  flowers. 
In  another  fabliau,  cited  by  Wright  and  published  by 
Keller,  a  Saracenic  maiden  descends  from  her  chamber 
into  the  garden,  performs  her  toilet  at  the  fountain 
there,  and  then  makes  herself  a  chaplet  of  flowers  and 
leaves,  which  she  puts  on  her  head.  Then  we  read  in 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  85 

the  Knight's  Tale  how  the  fair  Emelie  was  wander- 
ing about  in  her  garden  at  sunrise  while  — 

"  She  gadereth  floures,  party  white  and  rede, 
To  make  a  subtil  gerland  for  hire  hede 
And  as  an  aungel  hevenysshly  she  soong." 

The  beauty  of  a  jewel  was  never  more  enhanced  by  an 
appropriate  setting  than  the  loveliness  of  gentlewomen 
by  the  fanciful  environment  of  this  mediaeval  pleasaunce. 
Fresh  as  the  "  new  flowers  of  sondry  hewe,"  in  her  trail- 
ing robes  fashioned  "  summerwise,"  her  head  wreathed 
with  a  chaplet  of  fragrant  roses,  her  bright  eyes  sparkling 
in  the  sunshine,  the  "  fayre  ladye  "  was  indeed  the  crown- 
ing joy  of  a  very  paradise.  And  as  she  was  its  most 
beautiful  ornament,  so  was  it  her  chief  delight. 

The  "  Roman  de  la  Rose  "  gives  the  best  possible  idea  information 
of  both  the  French  and  English  gardens  of  the  Middle  the"Ro- 
Ages.  It  was  chiefly  written  by  Guillaume  de  Loris,  in 
the  first  half  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  was  prob- 
ably well  known  in  England  before  it  was  translated 
by  Chaucer  into  English.  There  are  several  manu- 
script copies  of  it  containing  descriptions  in  the  text, 
accompanied  by  illustrations  giving  vivid  pictures  of  the 
pleasaunce.  Its  form,  the  walls  enclosing  it,  with  their 
surrounding  moat;  the  subdivisions  of  latticework;  the 
"  flowery  mede,"  shaded  by  fruit  trees,  with  a  fountain  in 
its  centre ;  and  the  stone-coped  beds,  containing  clipped 
shrubs  and  other  smaller  plants,  are  clearly  shown  from 


86  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

various  points  of  view.  The  arrangement  is  full  of 
charm.  In  the  most  important  of  these  illustrations 
(which  is  on  the  opposite  page,  and  was  taken  from  a 
fourteenth-century  Flemish  manuscript  preserved  at  the 
British  Museum),  the  garden  is  shown  as  a  whole, 
ornamented  with  many  quaint  details.  It  is  enclosed 
by  a  crenellated  wall,  surrounded  by  a  moat.  The 
subdivisions  are  formed  by  a  fence  of  wooden  trellis- 
work,  on  the  topmost  railing  of  which  is  balanced  a 
peacock.  In  the  left-hand  division  is  a  copper  fountain 
head,  where  the  water,  spouting  from  lions'  mouths, 
drips  into  a  circular  basin,  and  runs  off  through  a  marble 
channel  embedded  in  the  turf.  Velvety  grass,  thickly 
sprinkled  with  daisies,  surrounds  the  fountain  and  forms 
a  soft  seat  for  the  little  company  of  merrymakers  who 
are  singing  and  playing  upon  musical  instruments.  The 
rich  texture  of  such  a  carpet  of  turf  was  often  dwelt  upon 

in  poetry :  — 

"  About  the  brinkes  of  these  welles 
And  by  the  stremes  over  al  elles 
Sprange  up  the  grasse  as  thick  y-set 
And  soft  as  any  veluet, 
On  whiche  men  myght  his  lemman  ley 
As  on  a  fetherbed  to  pley." 

A  garden  Every  kind   of  a  plantation  was  contained  in  some 

contained  in 

an  enclosure,  form  of  an  enclosure,  as  is  evident  from  the  different 
words  applied  to  it;  all,  like  the  French  courtil,  sug- 
gesting its  original  location  in  a  courtyard.  A  garden, 


PLEASAUNCE.  FROM  THE  -  ROMAN  DE  LA  ROSE.' 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  87 

according  to  the  derivation  of  the  word  from  zerd,  garth, 
or  yard  (three  nouns  from  the  same  Aryan  root  as  the 
French  word  jardin),  originally  signified  a  walled  but 
unroofed  enclosure  containing  cultivated  vegetation. 
Usually  this  vegetation  principally  consisted  of  herbs, 
grass,  or  fruit  trees.  Thus  there  were  wyrt-zerds,  grass- 
zerds,  ortzers,  cherry-zerds,  and  apple- zerds,  or  yards,  the 
prefix  specifying  more  or  less  exactly  the  contents  of 
the  circumscribed  space. 

This  enclosure   protected    the   vegetation   from    ma-  seclusion 

.  requisite 

rauders,  and  secluded  its  occupants.     Privacy  was  a  very  and  neces- 
sary, 
important  characteristic  of  the  garden.    Inside  the  castle 

there  was  scant  opportunity  for  confidential  conversa- 
tion. So  when  people  wished  to  talk  without  being 
overlooked  or  overheard,  they  were  apt  to  retire  to  the 
pleasaunce.  For  lovers  especially  it  was  a  favourite 
meeting-place. 

"  Into  the  gardyn  go  we,  and  ye  shal  here 
Al  pryvely  of  this  a  longe  sermon  : 
With  that  thei  wenten  arm  and  arm  yfere, 
Into  the  gardyn  from  the  chambre  doun. 
And  when  that  he  so  fer  was,  that  the  soun 
Of  that  he  spake  no  man  heren  mighte 
He  seyd  hire  thus,  and  out  the  letre  plyghte." 

—  "  Troylus  and  Cryseyde." 

For  the  sake  of  seclusion  as  well  as  safety  the  garden 
was,  therefore,  surrounded  by  high  and  thick  walls,  fences, 
or  a  hedge,  and  usually  still  further  defended  by  a  moat. 


88  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

"  And  all  was  walled  that  none  throu  it  wid  were 
With  posterns  in  pryvtie  to  pasen  when  him  list 
Orche-ardes  and  erberes  well  clene." 

—  "  Piers  Plowman." 

walls.  The  walls  were  built  of  stone  until  brick  came  into 

use,  and  varied,  of  course,  in  height  and  thickness. 

"  Amongst  other  of  his  honest  thinges 
He  had  a  gardyn  walled  al  with  stoon, 
So  fair  a  gardyn  wot  I  no  wher  noon." 

—  "  The  Marchaundes  Tale,"  CHAUCER. 

Their   summit   was    generally   finished    with    battle- 
ments or  crenellations. 

"  I  saw  a  garden  right  anoon, 
Full  long  and  broad  and  everidele, 
Enclosed  was  and  walled  well 
With  highe  walls  embattailed." 

Fences.  The  earliest  fences  were  commonly  wattled,  that  is, 

woven  of  osiers.  Others,  more  ornamental,  were  formed 
of  rails  or  of  pickets,  and  painted  green. 

Hedges.  Hedges  often  enclosed  the  later  gardens,  instead  of 

walls.  The  bushes  used  for  this  purpose  were  privet 
(thus  called  perhaps  because  it  served  to  insure  pri- 
vacy), thorn,  sweetbrier,  and  yew. 

"  The  hegge  as  thick  as  a  castle  wall, 
That  who  that  list  without  to  stand  or  go, 
Though  he  would  all  day  prien  to  and  fro 
He  shoulde  not  see  if  there  were  any  wighte 
Within  or  no  !  " 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  89 

Moats    were    also    common.      In    the   "  Chorle    and  Moats, 
the  Birde,"  Lydgate  describes  the  garden   of  the   rich 
churl   as    "hegged    and   dyked    to   make   it    sure    and 
strong."     The  water  served  for  fish  and  swans. 

In   form    the    enclosure    containing    the    pleasaunce,  Rectangular 
garden,  or  orchard  was  preferably  square  or  oblong. 

"  The  gardyn  was  by  mesurying 
Right  evene  and  square  :  in  compassing 
It  was  as  long  as  it  was  large." 

The  entrance  was  through  a  postern  or  gateway  in  The 
the  wall  sometimes  surmounted  by  battlements,  and 
always  barred  by  a  stout  wooden  door  fastened  with 
a  massive  iron  lock.  Idleness  is  shown,  in  the  accom- 
panying illustration  from  the  "  Roman  de  la  Rose," 
admitting  the  knight-errant  through  such  a  postern 
into  the  enchanted  enclosure.  A  side  door  in  the 
castle  furnished  another  means  of  ingress.  Through 
this  side  door,  across  the  pleasaunce,  and  out  the  pos- 
tern was  a  way  of  leaving  the  castle  unobserved.  It 
was  thus  that  the  beautiful  pagan,  Rosamond,  de- 
scended to  succour  the  wounded  and  insensible  Elias 
of  St.  Giles,  as  described  in  one  of  the  Chansons  de 
Geste,  and  by  the  same  means  she  and  other  snaves 
pucelles  were  in  the  habit  of  passing  out  in  spring- 
time to  gather  flowers. 

"  Quand  vient  el  mois  de  mai  por  colir  la  florete." 

—  "  Elie  de  St.  Giles." 


90  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

The  flowery        The  flowery  mede,  or  a  grass  plot  thickly  dotted  with 

med.6 

flowers,  was  perhaps   the   simplest   form   of   a   garden, 
and  the  one  first  known  to  our  mediaeval  ancestors. 

"  Ful  gay  was  all  the  ground  and  queynt, 
And  poudred  as  men  had  it  peynt 
With  many  a  fresshe  and  sondrie  floure, 
That  casten  up  ful  goc>d  savour." 

There  is  a  good  representation  of  this  kind  of  plant- 
ing with  but  slight  indications  of  beds  in  the  wonder- 
ful series  of  fourteenth-century  tapestries  preserved 
at  the  Cluny  Museum.  The  lady  with  her  hand- 
maiden, and  her  pet  falcon,  dogs,  monkeys,  and  rabbits, 
is  standing  on  a  plot  of  flowery  greensward,  enclosed 
by  a  railed  wooden  fence  overgrown  with  roses.  This 
plot,  as  may  be  discerned,  consisted  of  a  circular  bed 
carpeted  with  thick  grass  intermingled  with  low-grow- 
ing flowers  such  as  daisies,  violets,  hyacinths,  and  pinks. 
It  is  brought  out  more  or  less  clearly  in  different 
sections  of  the  tapestry.  Such  a 
pr'eau,  or  bit  of  meadow  convention- 
alized, was  a  common  and  very 
delightful  portion  of  the  pleasaunce. 
Of  late  years  it  has  been  reproduced 
in  modern  gardens, 
subdm-  i^Vx^gxy- — -^»»|  Gradually,  as  the  cultivated  ground 

sions. 

extended,    it   came   to   be   divided   into   compartments. 
These  subdivisions  were  usually  formed  of  latticework 


THE   MEDIAEVAL   PLEASAUNCE 


with  square  or  diamond-shaped  apertures,  more  or  less 
ornamental  as  during  the  classic  era. 

Then  there  were  beds  for  plants,  raised  several  inches  Beds, 
above  the  level  of  the  path,  retained  by  a  stone  coping, 
and  fenced  in  with  wattles,  latticework,  or  open  wooden 
railings.     Fruit  trees  and  herbs  predominated,  for  as  yet 
flowers  were  given  no  especial  prominence  in  the  garden. 

"  This  yerde  was  large  and  rayled  all  th  aleys, 
And  shadowed  wel  with  blosmy  bowes  grene, 
And  benched  newe  and  sanded  all  the  wayes 
In  which  she  walketh  arm  in  arm  between." 

—  CHAUCER'S  "Troylus  and  Cryseyde,"  Liber  Secundus,  820. 

The  main  paths   or  alleys,  as  described  in  the  last  Alleys, 
quotation,  were  covered  with  sand,  and   usually  broad 
enough  for  two  or  three 
people    to    pace    abreast. 
Narrower  paths  were  in- 
tended   to    facilitate    the 
weeding  of  the  beds. 


^HhVv^fe^.?^. 


AVAUGISAND'LA  BE.LLE  ORIANPE 


Resting-places  in  plenty 
were  provided  for  those 
who  found  walking  or  standing  tiresome.  Simple 
benches  cushioned  with  turf  were  built  into  embrasures 
or  against  the  wall.  Earth  banked  up  around  the  trunk 
of  a  tree,  grassed  over  and  held  in  place  by  wattled 
osiers,  formed  a  circular  seat.  In  the  centre  of  the 
garden  a  three-sided  exedra  constructed  of  stone  or 


Seats. 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  bower 
or  arbour. 


brick,  covered  with  grass  and  flowers,  often  formed  the 
most  important  feature.  In  the  picture  here  given  the 
two  seated  figures  are  the  lovers  described  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  — 

"  Oriande  et  Maugis  se  trouverent  en  ung  jardin  pour 
eulx  esbattre  et. deviser  en  passe  temps,  apres  ce  qu'ils 
avoient  dine  et  que  1'eure  estoit  de  prendre  un  petit 
repos.  C'est  au  mois  de  mai,  le  temps  ou  tous  les 
oysillons  se  degoisent,  et  si  sont  tous  vrais  amans  a 
penser  a  leur  amour." 

Arbours  or  bowers  were  wooden  structures  covered 
by  shrubs  and  vines,  and  usually  shading  a  comfortable 
seat.  Originally  in  Anglo-Saxon 
times  the  bower,  or  bur,  had  been 
a  small  building  containing  a  bed- 
chamber, or  a  room  especially  in- 
tended for  women.  Thus  we  often 
read  of  the  ladies'  bower,  and  of 
a  bird  in  bure,  a  lady  in  her  bower. 
But  gradually  the  word  came  to  sig- 
nify a  summer-house  in  a  garden. 

.  .  "  A  pleasant  herber  well  ywrought 
That  benched  was,  and  eke  with  turfes  newe 
Freshly  turved,  whereof  the  grene  gras, 
So  small,  so  thicke,  so  short,  so  fresh  of  hew, 
That  most  ylike  green  wool,  I  wot,  it  was ; 
The  hegge  also  that  yede  in  this  compas, 
And  closed  in  all  the  grene  herbere 


GARDEN  SCENES,  FROM  THE  "ROMAN  DE  LA  ROSE.' 


THE    MEDIEVAL    PLEASAUNCE 


93 


With  sicamour  was  set  and  eglatere,  Arbours. 

Wrethen  in  fere  so  well  and  cunningly 
That  every  branch  and  leafe  grew  by  mesure 
Plain  as  a  bord,  of  oon  height  by  and  by. 

***** 

And  shapen  was  this  herber  roofe  and  all 
As  is  a  prety  parlour." 

—  "The  Flower  and  the  Leaf,"  CHAUCER. 

Water  in  various  forms  was  always,  if  possible,  intro-  water- 
duced  into  the  garden.     Fish-ponds,  bathing  pools,  and 
fountains    were   common.      Usually 
the    central    and    most   ornamental 
architectural    feature    of    the    pleas- 
aunce  was  a  fountain.     The  earliest 
of   an  ornamental  appearance  were 
apparently  of  Oriental  design,  similar 
to  the  well-known  one  in  the  clois- 
ters of  Monreale  above  Palermo,  and 
to    that   reproduced   from    a  photo- 
graph  taken   of  an   early    piece   of 
tapestry   in  the   South    Kensington 
Museum.     But,  of  course,  architectural  treatment  of  foun- 
tains, as  of  other  details,  underwent  the  same  evolution 
from    Romanesque    to    Gothic,    and    from    Gothic    to 
Renaissance,  as  did  architecture  in  general. 

A  maze  or  labyrinth  was  frequently  laid  out  in  or 
near  the  garden.  An  early  form  seems  to  have  con- 
sisted of  a  network  of  underground  passages,  making 


94  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

the  approach  to  a  hidden  bower  almost  impossible  to  the 
uninitiated.  Several  of  these  mysterious  subterranean 
labyrinths  existed  in  England,  the  most  celebrated 
one  being  that  constructed  by  Henry  II  to  conceal 
fair  Rosamond's  bower  at  Woodstock.  The  bower,  in 
her  case,  was  a  small  stone  building  enclosing  a  well, 
a  large  enough  dwelling-place  for  one  or  two  people. 

Sometimes  the  fountain  was  covered  with  an  arbour 
and  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  garden. 

"  Amiddes  the  garden  so  moch  delectable 
There  was  an  herber  fayre  and  quadrante, 
To  paradyse  right  well  comparable, 
Set  all  about  with  floures  fragraunt, 
And  in  the  myddle  there  was  resplendys  haunte, 
A  dulcet  spring  and  marvaylous  fountaine 
Of  golde  and  asure  made  all  certayne." 

Topiary  Topiary  work  was  not  unknown,  as  is  evident  from 

the  descriptions  in  various  poems  and  the  illustrations 
in  many  manuscripts.  A  clipped  tree  often  formed 
the  central  feature  of  the  garden. 

"  Amyddis  the  gardyn  stode  a  fressh  laurer 
Theron  a  bird  syngyng  bothe  day  and  nyghte." 

The  maze.  Pious  architects  engraved  labyrinths  on  the  floors  of 
cathedrals,  as  on  the  one  at  Chartres,  so  that  the 
faithful,  as  has  been  ingeniously  suggested,  in  following 
its  tortuous  ways  might  accomplish  the  semblance  of  a 
pilgrimage  while  their  compatriots  were  on  their  way  to 


THE   MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE  95 

the  rescue  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.     Possibly  the  garden 

labyrinth  may  have  originated  in  the  same  sentiment, 

though  as  time  went  on  it  came  to  be 

considered  as  merely  affording  diversion 

or   purely   as    an    ornament.       Hedges 

edged  the  paths  and  an  arbour  marked 

the  hidden  centre. 

Certain  games  were  considered  appro-  Garden 

games. 

priate  for  the  garden,  among  them 
tennis,  bowling,  and  archery.  But  ten- 
nis courts,  archery  and  bowling  greens 
will  be  described  in  the  account  of 
Tudor  gardens,  where  they  were  brought  to  greater 
perfection. 

Other  features  of  the   garden,  also  constructed  at  a  Animal  in- 
mates of  the 
later  date,  were  menageries,  aviaries,  apiaries,  and  dove-  garden. 

cotes.  Birds  and  bees  everywhere  added  much  to 
the  charm  of  the  garden.  Swans  swam  in  the  basins 
and  moat,  peacocks  strutted  along  the  alleys  and 
perched  on  top  of  the  walls,  and  doves  flew  to  and 
from  their  spacious  homes.  All  these  were  served  up 
as  delicacies  at  meals.  Of  wild  birds  there  were  a 
great  variety;  some  are  mentioned  in  the  "Romance  of 

the    Rose." 

"  For  certys,  as  at  my  devys, 

Ther  is  no  place  in  Paradys 

So  good  inne  forto  dwelle  or  be, 

As  in  that  gardyne,  thoughte  me. 


96  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

For  there  was  many  a  bridde  syngyng 
Through-out  the  yerde  al  thringyng. 
In  many  places  were  nyghtyngales, 
Alpes,  fynches,  and  wodewales." 

Theherbary.  If  a  large  number  of  herbs  were  cultivated,  they 
were  sometimes  set  apart  in  an  herbary.  But  many 
flowers  which  are  now  considered  purely  ornamental 
were  then  supposed  to  have  healing  properties,  or  to 
be  fit  ingredients  for  sauces  and  savouries;  so  the 
herbary  was  not  strictly  devoted  to  the  plants  we 
should  consider  as  herbs.  Besides  the  plants  grown  for 
medicinal  and  culinary  purposes,  were  others  intended 
to  be  distilled  into  love  philters  and  perhaps  poisons. 
The  orchard  in  the  Middle  Ages  was  practically 

The  orchard,  indistinguishable  from  the  garden  or  pleasaunce.  A 
precious  description  of  it,  which  might  equally  well  be 
applied  to  the  garden  of  the  period,  was  written  by 
Albert  the  Great  in  a  chapter  of  his  "  De  Naturis 

Description     Rerum,"  called  "  De  Plantatione  Viridariorum."    "  In  the 

the  Great,  first  place,"  he  says,  "the  whole  site  must  be  planted 
with  the  finest  grass  seed  trodden  into  the  ground  by 
foot,  forming  an  actual  carpet  of  verdure,  than  which 
nothing  could  be  smoother  than  the  level  surface. 

"  At  one  of  the  extremities  facing  the  south,  trees 
were  grown,  pears,  apples,  plums,  laurel,  cypress,  and 
the  like,  interlaced  with  vines  whose  foliage  protected 
the  turf  and  furnished  a  fresh  and  agreeable  shade. 


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THE  MEDLEVAL  PLEASAUNCE       97 

"  Behind  the  turf  was  planted  a  quantity  of  aromatic 
and  medicinal  herbs,  for  example,  rue,  sage,  and  basil, 
whose  perfume  would  rejoice  the  sense  of  smell ;  then 
certain  flowers,  such  as  the  violet,  ancolie,  lily,  rose, 
iris,  and  others  similar,  which  by  their  diversity 
charmed  the  eye  and  excited  the  admiration."  Finally, 
at  the  extremity  of  the  turf  in  the  space  reserved  for 
flowers  there  was  raised  a  seat  formed  of  earth  and 
covered  with  grass  and  flowers,  where  one  could  "  rest 
one's  body  and  refresh  one's  spirit." 

The  orchard  in  those  days  contained,  besides  a 
variety  of  fruit  trees,  herbs  for  medicinal  and  culinary 
purposes  and  a  few  flowers,  also  fountains,  seats,  and 
the  other  architectural  features  of  the  pleasaunce. 
Many  fruit  trees  are  said  to  have  been  imported  from  Fruit  trees 
France,  especially  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  hence  origin, 
were  known  by  French  names.  Among  the  varieties 
of  pears  were  the  rule  or  regul,  the  passe-pucelle, 
and  the  caloel  or  caillou.  Pearmain  and  costard 
apples  were  probably  also  of  French  origin.  Cherries 
had  been  reintroduced  at  the  time  of  the  Norman 
Conquest.  Peaches,  medlars,  quinces,  and  chestnuts 
were  commonly  cultivated  and  imported  from  abroad. 

Grafting   was   a   craft   well    understood.      Scions    of  Grafting, 
ten   or   twelve   distinct   varieties  of   trees   were  grown 
upon   an   oak   stock.     Vines   were  grafted  on  cherries 
and   plums  on  vines. 


98  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

The  last  The  last  of  the  castle  gardens  retaining  a  mediaeval 

of  the 

mediaeval  character  were  those  surrounding  the  great  French 
chateaux.  The  difference  between  them  and  the  new 
order  of  arrangement  arising  from  the  Renaissance  was, 
that  each  section  was  more  or  less  isolated,  and  treated 
as  sufficient  unto  itself,  instead  of  being  connected  with 
a  series  of  enclosures  all  symmetrically  disposed  about 
the  castle.  But  the  approaching  transition  is  apparent 
in  the  increasing  symmetry  of  the  plan  as  a  whole. 

In  "  Les  Plus  Beaux  Bastiments  de  France,"  written 
and  illustrated  with  many  views  and  plans,  Androuet 
du  Cerceau  gives  an  excellent  idea  of  these  gardens 
as  they  appeared  when  upon  the  point  of  being 
superseded  by  the  forerunners  of  Le  Notre.  Accord- 
ing to  his  testimony  there  were,  especially  at  Blois, 
"quantities  of  large  and  fine  gardens,  differing  from 
each  other.  Some  having  large  alleys  surrounding 
them,  others  covered  with  carpentry,  others  with  nut 
trees,  others  with  vines  trained  over  them." 

Gaiiion.  Gaillon,     constructed     under     Louis    XII    for     the 

Cardinal  d'Amboise,  is  perhaps  the  most  interesting 
of  these  gardens,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  illustration. 
Near  the  dwelling  were  two  fine  gardens  separated  by 
a  terrace,  adjoining  "a  gallery  of  sufficiently  good 
arrangement  in  the  antique  style,  which  looks  out 
over  the  valley."  One  of  these  gardens  was  finished 
with  "  another  fine  and  pleasing  gallery  worthy  of  being 


THE    MEDIEVAL   PLEASAUNCE 


99 


so  called  on  account  of  its  length  and  of  the  manner 
it  is  erected,  having  a  view  on  one  side  of  the  garden, 
and  on  the  other  of  the  said  valley  toward  the  river." 
In  the  middle  of  tne  garden  was  a  pavilion,  covering 
apparently  a  fountain  of  white  marble.  The  other 
garden  was  placed  in  the  valley.  Near  it  the  Cardinal 
had  erected  an  "  isolated  or  Carthusian  dwelling-place, 
abounding  in  every  pleasure." 

But  what  of  the  mediaeval  pleasaunce  remains  in 
England  to-day?  Unfortunately,  very  little.  More 
than  half  of  the  six  or  seven  hundred  castles  built 
between  the  Norman  Conquest  and  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII  have  entirely  disappeared,  many  others  have 
fallen  into  dis- 
use, and  of  those 
still  inhabited 
few  retain  their 
original  sur- 
roundings. 

Perhaps  the 
most  satisfactory 
survival  is  at 
Penshurst.  Here 

the  gardens  were  replanted  about  fifty  years  ago,  but 
they  must  have  been  laid  out  at  a  much  earlier  date. 
It  vividly  recalls  the  mediaeval  pleasaunce,  although 
differing  from  it  in  certain  details.  There  are  embattled 


DIANA'S   POOL'-PENSHUR&T 


Penshurst. 


ioo  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

stone  walls  surrounding  the  main  enclosure ;  a  bovver  or 
banqueting  house,  also  of  stone,  on  one  of  the  terraces 
near  the  castle  or  palace ;  a  flowery  orchard,  a  large 
oblong  fish-pond,  high  clipped  hedges,  and  a  garden  of 
pleasant  flowers  spreading  beneath  the  palace  windows. 

The  flowery  The  orchard  is  exceptionally  delightful ;  its  alleys  are 
bordered  with  flowers,  and  a  profusion  of  foxglove 
and  other  hardy  annuals  grow  beneath  the  apple  and 
pear  trees,  which  are  planted  at  a  regular  distance  apart. 

other  At  the  extreme  south  end  of  the  walk,  which  extends 

along  the  west  side  of  the  main  garden,  there  was 
formerly  an  open  pavilion,  which  has  unfortunately  dis- 
appeared. Leading  from  the  terrace  on  the  main  house 
level  is  a  yew  walk  or  alley,  known  as  the  "winter 
walk,"  and  built  for  one  of  the  ladies  of  the  family 
for  winter  exercise.  Outside  the  garden  walls  is  an  alley 
of  beautiful  beeches  known  as  "  Clarissa's  walk,"  since 
it  was  a  favourite  spot  with  the  lady  to  whom  the  poet 
Waller  gave  this  name,  a  member  of  the  Sidney  family. 
It  is  difficult  to  mention  another  pleasaunce  retaining 
more  than  one  or  two  mediaeval  features.  At  Sudeley 
Castle  a  part  of  the  gardens  were  relaid  out  on  old 
lines  about  fifty  years  ago.  There  are  high  yew  hedges 
with  birds  quaintly  clipped  on  top  and  covered  alleys, 
but  the  choice  of  flowers  has  not  been  in  keeping  with 
the  rest.  In  other  places  survivals  or  reproductions 
have  been  even  less  complete. 


CHAPTER    IV 


TUDOR  GARDENS 


Century      the    Peaceand 


flARLY     in     the     sixteenth 

Middle  Ages  were  over.  The  Tudor 
accession  brought  the  Wars  of  the  Roses 
to  an  end  and  inaugurated  a  new  epoch. 
Then  assurance  of  internal  peace,  accom- 
panied by  great  changes  in  social  and  political  life,  fur- 
nished a  basis  for  the  renaissance  of  art.  When  law  and 
order  were  firmly  established,  people  no  longer — by 
herding  together  within  the  fortified  precincts  of  castle 
or  monastery  —  sought  safety  in  numbers.  Instead  of 
being  obliged  to  live  protected  by  the  lord  of  the 
manor,  or  attached  to  various  religious  communities, 
each  family  now  existed  as  a  distinct  unit  of  society  and 
required  a  separate  home.  Moderate-sized  mansions 
of  brick  or  stone  were  therefore  constructed,  more  or 
less  elaborately  according  to  the  wealth  and  social 
position  of  their  owners,  as  dwellings  for  the  previous 


progress. 


IO2 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


New  sites 
for  dwell- 


occupants  of  the  massive  feudal  strongholds.  The 
spirit  of  feudalism  had  died  out  before  the  close  of 
the  fifteenth  century;  its  form  also  gradually  dis- 
appeared. Castles  were  first  disused  and  then  disman- 
tled as  they  ceased  to  fulfil  the  altered  requirements. 
In  1540,  when  John  Leland  was  sent  by  Henry  VIII 
on  a  tour  of  inspection,  he  reported  that  most  of 
these  ancient  fortresses  were  running  to  decay,  and 
barely  mentioned  in  connection  with  them  any  sem- 
blance of  a  pleasaunce. 

The  sites  of  the  new  dwellings  were  not  chosen  like 
those  of  the  castles,  on  account  of  their  inaccessibility. 
It  was  no  longer  essential  to  consider  strength  before 


A  TUDOR  MANOR  HOUSE:  EYAM  HALL  DERBYSHIRE 


convenience.  Now,  instead  of  seeking  a  defensible 
position,  people  preferred  situations  that  were  pleasant 
and  salubrious,  where  they  might  live  protected  from 
the  cold  winds,  and  where  gardens  and  orchards  might 


TUDOR   GARDENS 


103 


be  cultivated  advantageously.  Thus,  like  the  earlier 
monastic  edifices,  a  gentleman's  house  was  built  oftener 
in  a  valley  than  on  a  hilltop.  Here  there  was  more 
room  for  expansion,  and  near  the  house  the  grounds 
under  cultivation  could  be  extended  to  answer  the 
increasing  demands  for  various  kinds  of  plantations. 

At  first  both  house  and  gardens  still  seem  to  have 
been  protected  not  only  by  walls,  but  with  a  moat. 
Such  was  the  residence  of  Edward 
Stafford,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  at 
Thornbury.  Before  its  completion 
he  was  beheaded,  and  a  survey  of 
his  estate,  added  to  the  state  papers, 
is  dated  May,  1521.  From  this 
description  (which  is  all  that  re- 
mains of  the  gardens  now)  it  appears 
that  they  were  well  supplied  with  galleries  and  arbours, 
or,  as  they  are  quaintly  entitled,  "roosting-places." 

"  On  the  south  side  of  the  inner  ward  is  a  proper 
garden,  and  about  the  same  a  goodly  gallery  convey- 
ing above  and  beneath  from  the  principal  lodgings 
both  to  the  chapel  and  parrish  church.  The  utter 
part  of  the  said  gallery  being  of  stone  embattled,  and 
the  inner  part  of  timber  covered  with  slate.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  said  castle  or  manor,  is  a  goodly  gar- 
den to  walk  in,  closed  with  high  walls  embattled.  The 
conveyance  thither  is  by  the  gallery  above  and  beneath 


104 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Disuse  of 
defensive 
accessories 
in  domestic 
architec- 
ture. 


and  by  other  privy  ways.  Besides  the  same  privy 
garden  is  a  large  and  goodly  orchard  full  of  young 
graffes  well-laden  with  fruit,  many  roses,  and  other 
pleasures.  And  in  the  same  garden  are  many  goodly 
alleys  to  walk  in  openly.  And  round  about  the  same 
orcharde  is  conveyed  on  a  good  height  other  goodly 
alleys  with  roosting-places  covered  thoroughly  with 
white  thorne  and  hasel.  And  without  the  same  on 
the  utter  part,  the  said  orchard  is  enclosed  with 
sawin  pale,  and  without  that  ditches  and  quickset 
hedges.  .  .  .  From  out  of  the  said  orchard  are  divers 
posterns  in  sundry  places  at  pleasure  to  go  and  enter 
into  a  goodly  park  newly  made." 

Gradually  battlements,  moats,  and  other  defensive 
accessories  entirely  ceased  to 
be  built  in  connection  with 
the  house,  and  were  retained 
only  to  secure  the  gardens 
from  intruders  and  for  the 
preservation  of  the  trees  and 
plants  from  severe  winds  and 
the  depredations  of  marauders. 
For,  since  the  garden  was  no 
longer  under  the  protection 
of  the  castle  wall,  it  needed 
special  defences.  Many  of  the  moats  have  since  been 
condemned  as  unhealthy,  and  destroyed  from  time  to 


TUDOR   GARDENS  105 

time,  but  others  remain,  and  are  still  stocked  with  fish, 
as  at  Losely  and  Hunstanston.  At  Helmingham  the 
house  and  garden  are  each  surrounded  by  a  moat,  and 
exist  in  nearly  their  original  condition. 

Cardinal   Wolsey's  palace  and  grounds  at  Hampton  Woisey's 
Court    were   among   the   latest   to   be  made  secure  by  Hampton 
moats  as  well  as  walls.     It  was  in  these  gardens  that 
the  cardinal  was  accustomed  to  walk   at   the  close  of 
day   as    he    recited    even-song.     His   fondness   for   this 
recreation  and  the  beauty  of  the  gardens  (which  were 
located   near  the   Pond    Garden,  and   no    longer   exist) 
are  described  by  his  disciple  Cavendish :  — 

"  My  galleries  were  fayer  both  large  and  long 
To  walk  in  them  when  that  it  lyked  me  best. 

"  My  gardens  sweet  enclosed  with  walles  strong 
Embanked  with  benches  to  sytt  and  take  my  rest. 
The  knots  so  enknotted,  it  cannot  be  expresst 
With  arbors  and  alyes  so  pleasant  and  so  dulce 
To  pestilent  ayers  with  flavors  to  repulse." 

There   was   no   abrupt    transition    from    the  style  of  Thetransi- 

tion  £Ta,dua.l. 

the  Middle  Ages  to  that  of  the  Renaissance  in  Eng- 
lish gardens.  Many  Gothic  features  were  long  retained, 
of  which  remnants  are  still  in  evidence,  —  the  carved 
stonework,  the  conduits,  the  walks,  and  arbours.  Trel- 
liswork,  as  used  to  surround  the  beds,  remained  in 
fashion  with  but  slight  variations  throughout  the 
reigns  of  the  Tudors. 


io6 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Royal 
gardens. 


Hampton 
Court  in  the 
hands  of 
Henry  VIII. 


Among  the  royal  gardens  of  this  time  were  those 
already  existing  and  kept  up  at  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don, Baynardes  Castle,  Wanstead,  and  Westminster, 
those  renovated  at  York  Place  and  Whitehall,  and  a 
new  one  at  Nonesuch. 

But  the  finest  of  the  Tudor  gardens  were  at  Hamp- 
ton Court,  where  Wolsey's  work  was  almost  entirely 
swept  away  to  make  room  for  the  improvements  de- 
signed by  Henry  VIII.  These  changes  covered  part 


f-^i' 

Bi^^^g          °l^i 


THE  POND  GARDEN  AT  HAMPTON  COURT 


of  the  space  between  the  palace  and  the  river,  and 
the  only  portion  now  remaining  is  the  small  enclos- 
ure known  as  the  Pond  Garden.  Of  oblong  shape, 
surrounded  by  an  outer  wall  of  brick,  the  ground  is 


TUDOR   GARDENS  107 

laid  out  on   three   different  levels,   with   low  retaining 

Garden. 

walls  and  copings  or  stone ;  in  this  stone  one  can  see 
the  holes  whereby  were  fastened  the  thirty  or  more 
heraldic  beasts  which  formerly  served  to  strengthen 
the  wooden  railings  striped  with  white  and  green,  the 
royal  colours.  Above  one  corner  of  the  wall  appears 
a  battlemented  banqueting  house  built  by  Henry  VII. 
In  the  centre  of  the  enclosure  is  a  round  fountain,  on 
a  line  with  the  entrance  at  one  end  and  a  vine-covered 
arbour  opposite.  The  present  planting  is  unworthy 
of  special  attention ;  but  from  the  royal  accounts  we 
know  that  among  the  flowers  originally  ordered  for 
the  garden  in  Henry  VIII's  time  were  "violettes  and 
Primroses,  Gilliver-slips,  mynts,  and  other  sweet  flowers. 
100  Roses  at  4d  the  hundred.  Sweet  Williams  at  3d 
the  bushel."  It  was  weeded  and  watered  by  women  at 
twopence  a  day.  In  this  garden  young  Henry  VIII 
carried  on  his  first  flirtations  with  Anne  Boleyn,  and 
here,  when  overtaken  by  infirmities,  he  used  to  hobble 
about  in  his  premature  old  age. 

The  literature  of  this  period  relating  to  gardens  Early 
was  also  slow  to  develop  fresh  and  individual  char- 
acteristics. This  chiefly  consisted  of  herbals  translated 
from  the  Latin,  as  they  had  been  previously  by  the 
Anglo-Saxons  and  by  the  Anglo-Normans.  Begin- 
ning with  the  "  Ortus  Sanitatus,"  published  in  1485, 
sprang  up  a  new  crop  of  these  books,  which  were  of 


io8 


ENGLISH   PLEASURE   GARDENS 


greater  interest  to  the  archaeologist  than  to  the  prac- 
tical gardener.  Among  these  the  most  important  was 
the  "Crete  Herbal,"  printed  about  1516,  followed  by  a 
new  translation  of  a  herbal  by  Macer,  a  classic  writer 
whose  works  had  been  well  known  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  But  Turner,  a  scholar  of  much  distinction,  was 
the  earliest  author  of  a  herbal  gi.ying  the  names  of  Eng- 
lish plants.  His  books,  the  "  Libellus  de  Re  Herbaria," 


Tht  manerof  watering  with  aPumpf  in 


the  "  Names  of  Herbes,"  and  a  "  Herbal,"  were  pub- 
lished in  the  second  quarter  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  throw  some  light  upon  the  gardening  as  well  as 
upon  the  botanical  researches  of  his  time. 

The  first 

English  Andrew  Borde  is  the  first  writer  who  gave  directions 

books  on 

gardening,     in    English   as  to  how  to  plan  a  house   and  grounds. 


TUDOR   GARDENS  109 

Much  of  his  advice  was  practical,  although  often  he  saw 
fit  to  drag  in  a  somewhat  irrelevant  quotation  from  the 
Bible,  or  a  passage  from  some  classic  author  to  which 
we  should  not  attach  much  importance.  He  was  soon 
followed  by  Thomas  Tusser  with  "  A  Hundredth 
Pointes  of  Good  Husbandrie,"  which  has  been  inter- 
estingly edited  under  the  auspices  of  the  English  Dia- 
lect Society.  Hill's  "Profitable  Arte  of  Gardening" 
and  his  "  Gardener's  Labyrinth  "  also  add  to  our  infor- 
mation concerning  the  gardens  of  this  period. 

The  choice  of  the  site  was  given  careful  considera-  Location 

of  the  dwell- 

tion,  and  an  unexpected  importance  was  attached  to  ing. 
the  view.  "  After  that  a  man  have  chosen  a  conven- 
ient soyle  and  place  ...  he  must  afore  cast  in  his 
mind  that  the  prospect  to  and  fro  the  place  be  pleas- 
ant, fair  and  good  to  the  eye  to  behold  the  woods,  the 
waters,  the  fields,  the  dales,  the  hills  as  the  plain 
ground."  In  the  opinion  of  all  the  early  writers  the 
garden  and  orchard  were  always  to  be  located  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  house,  and  to  be  considered  as  an 
integral  part  of  the  same  premises. 

The  approach  to  the  house  and  gardens  was  through  The  ap- 
proach, 
one    or    more    courtyards,    where    peacocks    sometimes 

answered  the  purpose  of  watch-dogs. 

"  The  peacock  is  a  bird  of  more  beautified  feathers  Peacocks  as 

...  •    i  i  11-      watch-dogs. 

than  any  other  that  is,  he  is  quickly  angry,  but  he  is 
far  off  from  taking  good  hold  with  his  feet,  he  is 


no 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Dore-cotes. 


DOVE- COT ICRATTON  MANOR 


goodly  to  behold,  very  good   to  eat,  and   serveth   as  a 
watch  in  the  inner  court,  for  that  he  spying  strangers 

to  come  into  the  lodging 
he  faileth  not  to  cry  out 
and  advertise  them  of  the 
house." 

Doves  too  dwelt  in  the 
courtyard  or  in  the  garden. 
"  A  dove-house  is  also  a  nec- 
essary thing  about  a  man- 
sion place,"  Borde  says.  The 
illustrations  show  two  dove-cotes  of  Norman  types; 
the  earlier  form  is  round. 

The  confines  The  confines  of  the  garden  still  remained  rec- 
trance.  tangular,  sometimes  forming  a  perfect  square,  or  an 
oblong  as  in  the  illustration  in  the  middle  of  page 
1 08.  As  before,  walls,  a  quickset  hedge,  or  a  fence 
always  surrounded  the  garden.  There  were  several 
entrances.  The  principal  one 
was  usually  a  doorway  open- 
ing from  the  house  or  from 
the  house  court.  Ingress  for 
the  gardener,  and  a  gate  espe- 
cially for  the  owner  correspond- 
ing to  the  postern  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  were  also  provided.  Borde  says,  "  The  false 
gate  (otherwise  called  the  back  or  field  gate  on  that 


TUDOR   GARDENS 


in 


side  toward  your  meadow),  made  for  your  own  going 
in  and  out  alone,  shall  be  set  out  and  garnished  with 
two  chevrons  set 
upon  one  main  tim- 
ber and  no  more, 
and  four  or  five  bat- 
tlements above  and 
shut  with  a  strong 
door  for  that  way 
you  shall  go  into 
your  house  privily, 
and  in  like  sort  go  fffl^ 


GARDEN    DOORWAY    :  RlSLEY 


forth  again  when  it 
seemeth   good    unto   you."       Many   of    these   posterns, 
often   battlemented,  continued    to  be  built   during   the 

Renaissance.       There     are 
examples      at      Tissington, 
Swanopston   Hall,  etc. 
Now    we    come    to 
garden 

wrote,  "  It  is  a  commodious 
thing  to  a  mansion  to  have 
an  orchard  of  sundry  fruits, 
but  it  is  more  commodious  to  have  a  fayre  garden 
with  herbes  of  aromatyke  and  redolit  savoures."  The 
earliest  plan  giving  a  good  idea  of  its  chief  charac- 
teristics is  reproduced  here  from  an  illustration  in 


the    The  main 
outlines. 

itself.      As    Borde 


ii2  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

the  "  Gardener's  Labyrinth."  As  to  its  main  out- 
lines it  is  not  unlike  the  Pond  Garden  at  Hampton 
Court,  which  has  already  been  described  in  this 
chapter.  A  square  piece  of  level  ground  is  shown 
surrounded  by  a  wooden  paling,  and  within  it  a  second 
enclosure  fenced  with  latticework,  strengthened  at 
intervals  by  wooden  posts;  also,  an  entrance  through 
a  double  door  protected  by  a  heavy-corniced  doorway, 
but  not  battlemented  as  it  would  have  been,  almost 
invariably,  at  a  somewhat  earlier  period.  Opposite 
to  each  other,  in  the  middle  of  two  edges  of  the 
outer  enclosure,  are  a  well  and  an  arched  arbour,  both 
of  good  and  simple  designs  familiar  to  us  beside  the 
old  farm-houses  in  New  England.  In  the  centre  of  the 
inner  enclosure  a  cluster  of  beds,  intended  for  flowers, 
is  laid  out  in  geometrical  designs.  Other  beds,  oblong 
in  shape  and  varying  in  width,  form  a  series  of  borders 
for  less  ornamental  plants.  The  corners  of  the  central 
border  are  accented  by  circular  beds.  Between  the 
outer  paling  and  the  inner  latticework  is  another  space 
filled  with  oblong  beds,  probably  intended  to  contain 
the  pot-herbs, 
intermix-  The  intermingling  of  ornamental  with  useful  plants 

ture  of  the 

nsefui  with    continued   to    be   common.     As   an    innovation,    Borde 
mental?"       recommended  that  there  should  be  two  divisions  sepa- 
rated by  a  broad-hedged  alley.     One  of  these  sections 
was  to  be  devoted  to  pot-herbs,  the  other  to  "quarters 


TUDOR   GARDENS 


and  pulse  together  with  a  place  for  bee-hives."  Some- 
times, too,  fruit  trees  were  placed  in  a  special  enclos- 
ure. Generally  in  the  smaller  gardens  all  sorts  of 
vegetation  were  included,  and  herbs,  grown  for  medici- 
nal purposes  "to  turn  up  their  house  and  to  furnish 
their  pot,"  were  side  by  side  with  those  cultivated 
principally  for  their  beauty.  By  "turning  up"  the 
house  was  meant  strewing  the  floors  with  sweet-smell- 
ing herbs,  a  prevalent  practice  before  the  introduction 
of  carpets  and  still  continued  in  a  few  churches. 

Among  the  more   ornamental   plants   grown    in  the  List  of 

plants  cul- 

garden  were  the  acanthus,  asphodel,  auricula,  amaranth  tivated. 
(flower    gentle   or  flower  amor),    cornflower    (or   bottle 
blew,    red,    and   white],    cowslip,    daffodil,    daisy,    gilly- 
flower (red,  white,  and  carnation),  hollyhock  (red,  white, 

and   carnation),    iris    (flower    

de  luce  or  the  flos  delici- 
arum  of  the  Middle  Ages), 
Indian  eye,  lavender,  lark- 
spur (larkes  foot],  lily  of  the 
valley,  lily  (white  and  red), 
double  marigold,  nigella  Ro- 
mana,  pansy  or  heart's-ease, 
pink,  peony,  periwinkle, 
poppy,  primrose,  rocket, 

roses  of  many  sorts,  including  the  sweetbrier  or  eglan- 
tine, snap-dragon  (snag  dragon),  clove  gillyflower 


THE  FOUR  0UATVTER?)  OF  A  KNOT 


114 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Quarters 
End  knots. 


TbtC<«u>tryHi>ufrteifeiG<ir<teii. 


(sops-in-wine),  sweet-william,  sweet-john,  star  of  Beth- 
lehem, star  of  Jerusalem,  stock  gillyflower,  tuft 
gillyflower,  velvet  flower  (French  marigold),  violet, 
wallflower,  and  besides,  sweet-smelling  herbs,  such  as 
mint  and  marjoram. 

As  a  matter  of  decoration,  the  shape  of  the  flower- 
beds rather  than  their  contents  was  considered  of 
importance.  The  four  quar- 
ters formed  by  the  main 
alleys,  which  intersected  the 
middle  of  the  garden,  were 
enclosed  by  a  latticework 
fence  or  striped  railings  fast- 
ened to  posts  or  to  carved 
beasts.  These  quarters  were 
subdivided  into  knots.  The 
knot  was  either  a  geometri- 
cal pattern  or  the  outline  of 
some  fanciful  shape,  such 
as  a  dragon,  kept  in  place 
by  a  coping  of  wood,  brick,  stone,  or  tiles,  and 
edged  with  box  or  some  other  border  plant.  The 
design  of  the  knot  was  known  as  open  or  closed, 
according  to  whether  it  was  merely  outlined  with 
a  border  plant,  and  strewn  inside  the  outlines 
with  coloured  sands,  or  was  filled  with  growing 
flowers. 


TUDOR   GARDENS  115 

"  Then  we  went  to  the  garden  glorious, 
Like  to  a  place  of  pleasure  most  solacious 
With  Flora  painted  and  wrought  curiously 
In  divers  knottes  of  marvaylous  greteness ; 
Rampande  lyons  stood  up  wonderfly 
Made  all  of  herbes  with  dulcet  sweetness, 
With  many  dragons  of  marvaylous  likeness, 
Of  divers  floures  made  ful  craftely, 
By  Flora  couloured  with  colours  sundry." 

The  more  rare  and  beautiful  flowers  were  planted 
in  the  knots,  and  clipped  evergreen  shrubs  accented 
the  corners  of  the  beds  or  the  centre  of  the  garden. 

A    maze,  or   labyrinth,   was  another   favourite    orna-  The  maze, 
mental  design,   and   sometimes  filled  the  place  of   the 
knots.      Occasionally  it  was  planted  with  hedges  high 
enough  to  conceal  the  intricacies  of  the  paths,  and  to 
force    the    uninitiated    to    wander    long 
upon   the  outskirts,  unable  to  penetrate 
within ;    but    often    it   was    merely   out- 
lined with  lavender  or  some  other  low- 
growing  plant,  and  served   simply  as  a 
form  of  decoration.     The  central  object 
point  was  usually  an  arbour  or  a  clipped 
tree. 

Trelliswork  of  wood  was  as  much  em-    s^-^       — — "*'  Treiiis- 

work. 

ployed  as  it  had  been  in  the  Middle  Ages.  It  usually 
formed  a  diamond-shaped  lozenge,  as  in  the  illustra- 
tion, and  was  employed  to  fence  in  the  flower-beds 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Arbours. 


Banqueting 
houses. 


and  to  cover  arbours  and  galleries.  Solid  wooden 
posts,  placed  at  intervals  to  support  the  lattice,  formed 
a  pleasing  contrast. 

Every  garden  contained  one  or  more  arbours.  In 
the  "  Gardener's  Labyrinth "  two  kinds  are  described 
in  detail.  One  had  a  square-topped 
the  other  an  arched  roof.  Both 
were  constructed  of  willows  or  osiers 
"so  winded  that  the  branches  of 
the  vine,  melon,  or  cucumber  run- 
ning and  spreading  all  over,  might 
shadow  and  keep  both  the  heat 
and  the  sun  from  the  sitters  there- 
under." Fragrant  rosemary,  jasmine,  and  roses  of 
various  sorts,  especially  the  sweetbrier  or  eglantine, 
were  also  trained  over  the  trellis,  which  often  rested 
on  a  part  of  the  wall.  As  was  remarked  by  an  old 
writer,  "  The  herbers  erected  and  framed  in  most 
gardens  are  to  their  much  refreshing  and  delight." 

More  solid  constructions  of  brick  or  of  stone  were 
useful  in  winter  as  well  as  summer,  as  they  were  fur- 
nished with  chimneys.  Such  a  one,  on  a  large  scale,  is 
still  to  be  seen  at  Hampton  Court,  and  is  called  the 
banqueting  house.  Another,  which  has  now  disap- 
peared, was  built  for  Elizabeth  of  York  at  Windsor. 

Long  covered  walks  formed  another  important  feature 
in  every  garden.  Sometimes  they  passed  between 


TUDOR  GARDENS 


117 


lines  of  clipped  trees  pleached  to  form  an  arch,  like  the  Galleries 

3.nd  covered 

hornbeam  walk  at  Hatfield,  or  the  one  of  witch  elm,  walks, 
called  Queen  Mary's,  at  Hamp- 
ton Court.  At  other  times  the 
arches  were  constructed  of  wood- 
work and  covered  with  vines. 
One  of  the  advantages  of  these 
walks  was  that  under  their  shade 
it  was  possible  to  go  from  one 
part  of  the  garden  to  another 
without  being  exposed  to  the  sun. 
Beneath  the  arbours,  and  in 

other   spots    covered  or   uncovered,  were    placed   seats  seats  and 
and  tables  convenient  for  reading  and  writing,  where 


tables. 


also  refreshments  might  be  served.      Most  often  these 
were  arranged  at  the  ends  of  the  paths  or  around  the 


ii8  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

fountain.  In  the  illustration  is  seen  a  characteristic 
example  from  the  "Gardener's  Labyrinth." 

The  mount.  Another  feature  developed  at  this  period  was  the 
'mount,  a  mound  of  earth  usually  covered  with 
grass  and  serving  as  a  lookout  over  the  garden  wall 
into  the  park.  Often  it  was  capped  by  an  arbour 
or  a  simple  seat.  There  was  a  very  large  mount  at 
Hampton  Court,  constructed  in  1533.  It  was  built  on  a 
brick  foundation  covered  with  earth  and  planted  with 
twelve  hundred  quicksets.  On  the  summit  was  a  spa- 
cious summer-house. 

carved  Carved    animals    of   stone    or   wood,    upholding  little 

beasts. 

weather-vanes,  were  especially  characteristic  of  this 
period.  At  Hampton  Court,  those  erected  by  Henry 
VIII  included  harts,  lions,  greyhounds,  hinds,  dragons, 
bulls,  antelopes,  griffins,  leopards,  rams,  tigers,  and 
badgers.  They  were  distributed  all  over  the  gar- 
dens and  orchards,  and  stood  at  intervals  on  the  posts 
between  the  railings,  on  the  stone  coping  around  the 
terraces  and  flower-beds,  and  on  top  of  the  mount, 
san-diais.  A  number  of  sun-dials  were  also  scattered  about, 
both  for  use  and  ornament  Henry  VIII  apparently 
ordered  them  by  the  dozen.  Sun-dials  had  existed  in 
England  before  the  Roman  invasion,  but  interest  in 
them  seems  to  have  been  especially  keen  during  the  six- 
teenth century.  A  German  protege  of  Henry  VIII, 
named  Kratzer  (whose  portrait  by  Holbein,  now  in  the 


TUDOR  GARDENS 


119 


Louvre,  shows  him  with  a  small  sun-dial  in  hand),  wrote 

a  book   on  sun-dials  and  designed  two  to  be  placed  at 

Oxford,  where  he  was  a  lecturer  on 

astronomy   and    mathematics.      The 

first    book    in     English    devoted    to 

dialling  was  published   in    1533,  and 

was  largely  a  translation  from   Wit- 

kendus.     At   this   period    the   actual 

dial    was    more    fanciful    than    at    a 

later    date     and     often     formed 

armillary  sphere. 


an 


A  water  supply  was  considered  a  very  important  Receptacles 
adjunct  to  the  garden.  A  central  feature  was  often  a 
well  or  fountain  fed  by  a  spring,  or  a  cistern  "well 
mortarred  to  receive  and  keep  rain-water."  Cisterns 
were  also  made  of  lead  and  decorated  in  such  a  way  as 
to  make  them  very  ornamental.  Borde  advises  that  there 
should  be  also  a  "  pool  or  two  for  fish,  if  the  pool  be  clean 
kept."  Such  pools  were  usually  lined  with  stone,  and 
square  or  oblong  in  shape.  Good  examples  of  them 
exist  at  Drayton  and  Brickwall. 

Various  games  were  played  in  the  garden  or  its  Garden 
vicinity.  Bowling-alleys  and  greens  for  archery  were 
common.  "  And  among  other  things  a  payre  of  buttes 
(targets  for  archery)  is  a  decent  thing  about  a  mansion, 
otherwise  for  a  great  many  necessary  it  is  to  pass  his 
time  with  bowls  in  an  alley."  No  dimensions  are  given. 


games. 


120  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

All  that  was  required  was  a  stretch  of  good,  firm  turf 
or  gravel.  Tennis  was  another  favourite  game.  Henry 
VIII  was  passionately  fond  of  tennis.  Sometimes  he 
used  to  play  in  the  walled  court  for  "  close  tennys  play  " 
at  Hampton  Court,  which  is  the  oldest  one  in  England, 
and  has  since  served  as  a  model  for  many  others.  A 
crowd  of  spectators  always  watched  the  king  playing. 
Giustiniani  describes  him  as  "  extremely  fond  of  tennis, 
at  which  game  it  is  the  prettiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
see  him  play,  his  fair  skin  glowing  through  a  shirt  of 
finest  texture."  Lawn  tennis,  or  "  open  tennis  play"  was 
another  favourite  diversion, 
summary  of  Briefly,  the  garden  was  now  a  homely  enclosure, 

the  Tudor        ,.,.,_,•.  •  •         i        i 

garden.  like  the  living  room  in  a  simple  house  containing 
few,  but  good-sized,  apartments.  Sometimes  one  large 
enclosure  answered  many  purposes.  First  of  all  it 
contained  the  medicinal  herbs,  for  primarily  garden- 
ing was  considered  a  profitable  art  because  it  was  "  so 
chayned  and  linked  to  the  noble  arts  both  of  physic 
and  surgery  as  by  no  means  possible  it  may  be  to 
separate  the  one  from  the  others,  but  rather  as  a  daily 
handmaiden  continually  serveth  them  both."  Then 
it  answered  the  purpose  of  the  pleasaunce,  provid- 
ing alleys  and  arbours  for  people  to  walk  on  and  sit 
under,  besides  ground  for  games.  Finally,  it  supplied 
a  mixture  of  vegetables  and  flowers  for  use  and 
ornament.  The  flower-garden  proper,  however,  was  not 


TUDOR   GARDENS  121 

commonly    to    be    seen     until     the    reign    of     Queen 
Elizabeth. 

The  orchard,  if  not  actually  a  part  of  the  garden,  The  orchard, 
was  placed  near  it  and  similarly  ornamented.  Sun- 
dials and  beasts  carved  of  wood  are  mentioned  in  the 
royal  accounts  as  having  been  ordered  for  Henry 
VIII's  New  Orchard,  at  Hampton  Court,  in  1530. 
Leland,  in  his  "  Itinerary "  written  in  the  middle  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  speaks  of  topiary  work  as 
lining  the  walks  and  decorating  other  parts  of 
orchards.  He  relates  that  "at  Uskeele  village  about 
a  mile  from  Tewton  is  a  goodly  orchard  with  walks, 
opere  topiaris,"  and  at  Wreshill  Castle  he  describes 
another  where  there  were  "  mounts  opere  topiaris 
writhen  about  in  degrees  like  turnings  of  cokil  shells 
to  come  to  the  top  without  payne."  Novelties  in  the 
orchard  at  this  period  were  raspberries  and  goose- 
berries, which,  with  strawberries,  were  abundantly 
grown.  Tusser  says  that  in  September  — 

"  The  Barbary,  Respis,  and  Gooseberry  too 
Look  now  to  be  planted  as  other  things  doo. 
The  Gooseberry,  Respis,  and  Roses  al  three 
With  Strawberries  under  them  trimly  agree." 

—  "  Five  Hundred  Points  of  Good  Husbandry." 

Among  existing  private  pleasure  gardens,  the  one 
most  resembling  those  described  as  belonging  to  the 
early  Tudor  period  is  at  Longleat.  Symmetrical  Longieat. 


122 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 


without  being  monotonous  in  its  plan,  formal  without 
being  rigid  in  its  planting,  cosey  without  being 
cramped  in  its  dimensions,  it  might  be  cited  as  the 
perfection  of  a  small  out-of-door  dwelling-place  for 
plants  and  people.  The  plan  could  have  been 
designed  only  by  one  possessing  a  knowledge  of 
architecture,  although,  with  the  exception  of  the 
fountain  and  conservatory,  it  might  be  carried  out 
without  "invegetate  ornamentation." 

The  house  at  Longleat  is  a  large  and  somewhat 
elaborate  edifice  in  the  style  of  the  late  Renaissance. 
Formerly,  stiff  pleasure  grounds 
laid  out  by  London  and  Wise 
in  the  reign  of  William  and 
Mary  surrounded  three  sides  of 
this  mansion,  or  rather  palace, 
while  on  the  fourth  side  it 
opened  into  a  spacious  forecourt. 
But  this  extensive  arrangement, 
forecourt  and  all,  was  swept 
away  by  "Capability"  Brown,  who 


PAVILION    ;  LONGLEAT 


substituted  the  picturesque  planting  now  seen,  as  the 
residence  is  approached,  with  no  visible  separation, 
except  the  driveway,  between  the  front  door  and 
the  park.  In  order  to  compose  well  with  a  house  of 
such  magnificence,  if  closely  connected  with  it,  the 
gardens  must  necessarily  have  been  carried  out  on 


TUDOR   GARDENS  123 

a  scale  of  grandeur  making  them  only  suitable  as  a 
parade-ground  for  a  large  number  of  people.  It  is  The  relation 

.    .  .  of  the  house 

not    surprising,    therefore,    that   when    a    garden-loving  to  the 
ancestress    of    the     Marquess    of    Bath,    the    present  gar 
owner,   designed   a    new    pleasaunce,    it   was    detached 
from   the   mansion,  although    near  by.      This   is  often 
the    best    arrangement    when,    in    order    to    coincide 
with  the   buildings,  gardens  would  be  required  entail- 
ing greater  expense  or  elaboration  than  seems  desir- 
able or  practicable. 

Although    laid    out    only    half    a    century    ago,    in  The  general 

effect. 

general  effect  and  detail  there  is  much  to  suggest 
that  this  is  a  reproduction  of  a  Tudor  flower-garden 
and  was  uninfluenced  by  foreign  fashions.  The 
ground  plan  is  an  almost  perfect  square,  as  was 
always  recommended  by  the  early  authorities,  while 
the  iron  arches  covered  by  Virginia  creepers,  clema- 
tis, wistaria,  China  roses,  and  other  climbing  plants 
produce  much  the  same  effect  as  the  arched  wooden 
trellis  or  arbour,  common  in  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries,  and  existing  at  an  earlier  date. 
Besides  many  minor  points  of  resemblance,  there  are 
here  to  be  found  the  three  fundamental  characteristics 
of  an  old  garden:  an  outer  enclosure,  clearly  defined 
subdivisions,  and  differences  of  level. 

The  enclosure  is  formed  by  a  boundary  hedge,  one  Hedges  and 

arbours. 

hundred  and  eighty  feet  long  and  about  ten  feet  high, 


I24  ENGLISH    PLEASURE    GARDENS 

extending  along  three  sides,  while  a  wall  of  stucco  and 
the  conservatory  form  the  fourth.  On  one  side  the 
hedge  is  of  clipped  yew,  while  the  other  two  are  of 
rhododendrons  allowed  to  grow  freely.  Along  each  of 
these  three  sides  runs  a  walk  about  eight  feet  wide, 
supported  by  a  stone  retaining  wall  and  raised  three 
steps  above  the  level  of  the  parterre ;  opening  from 
this  walk  are  vine-covered  arbours  shading  wooden 
benches  commanding  the  whole  enclosure.  Two  of 
these  arbours  are  semicircular  in  plan  with  arched  tops, 
while  two  are  rectangular  and  flat-topped.  The  gar- 
den sides  are  left  open  so  that  "the  owner's  friends 
sitting  in  the  same  may  the  freelier  see  and  behold 
the  beauty  of  the  garden  to  their  great  delight." 
The  The  main  body  of  this  garden  is  divided  by  the  two 

principal  cross  paths  into  quarters,  subdivided  into  knots, 
while  outside  runs  a  border  laid  out  in  elaborate  geo- 
metrical patterns.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  any 
stiffness  of  effect  is  far  less  apparent  in  reality  than  in 
the  plan,  since  actually  the  garden  is  never  seen  from  a 
bird's-eye  point  of  view.  Flowing  lines  give  freedom 
and  variety  to  borders  which  if  severely  rectangular 
might  appear  set  and  uninteresting ;  and  miniature 
hedges,  enclosing  the  different  arrangements  of  flowers 
in  distinct  divisions,  make  it  possible  to  mass  the  colours 
more  or  less  separately.  The  subdivisions  are  marked  by 
borders  of  Berberis  Darwinii,  Colorcaster  Hookeriana, 


THE  FLOWER  GARDEN 
LONCLEAT    -  WILTS 
OF   BATH 


TUDOR   GARDENS  125 

or  of  common  yew  or  box.  The  paths,  slightly  bevelled 
to  shed  water,  are  of  clay  mixed  with  small  pieces 
of  flint,  pounded  and  rolled  until  so  hard  and  com- 
pact that  the  surface  affords  no  foothold  for  weeds. 
The  outer  border  is  treated  like  a  series  of  closed 
knots ;  that  is,  the  patterns,  outlined  with  yew  or  box, 
are  close  or  filled  with  flowers.  Among  these  are 
eight  beds  planted  with  gladioli  and  white  stock, 
eight  with  tiger-lilies  and  white  snap-dragon,  and  eight 
with  salpiglossis.  The  three  beds  forming  a  quarter 
of  a  circle  at  each  corner  are  filled  with  salvia.  Inside 
the  border  the  earth  is  raised  above  the  level  of  the 
path  nearly  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  yew  edging. 
Each  corner  is  accented  by  a  cone-shaped  yew  on  the 
outer  and  a  trim  rose-bush  on  the  inner  angle. 

Next,  and  separated  from  the  border  only  by  a  path  The  open 
and  a  flat  band  of  grass,  come  the  quarters.  These 
are  divided  into  open  knots  of  variegated  holly  and 
yew,  the  golden  foliage  of  one  contrasting  with  the 
dark  green  of  the  other.  A  basket-shaped  vase  of 
flowers  marks  each  corner  with  a  bright  spot  of  colour 
rising  above  the  masses  of  closely  clipped  foliage 
forming  the  knots. 

Encircling  the  fountain  is  a  curved  bed  divided  into 
four  sections  by  the  cross  paths  and  planted  with  pink 
pentstemon.  Crimson  rambler  roses  are  trained  over 
the  arches  of  iron  tubing,  and  the  Isaac  Perrier  rose 


126  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

covers  the  chains  suspended  between  them  over  the 
beds.  These  numerous  rose  garlands  give  finishing 
touches  to  the  unusually  festive  appearance  of  the 
garden.  In  the  herbaceous  border  next  the  outer 
hedge,  and  running  like  it  around  three  sides  of  the 
enclosure,  are  growing  some  sixty  or  seventy  different 
kinds  of  plants.  Among  them  ..are  monkshood,  asters 
of  many  sorts,  canterbury  bells,  coreopsis,  helianthus, 
helenium,  pyrethrum,  phlox,  etc. 

The  The  only  purely  architectural  feature  is  the  orangery, 

a  very  good  example  of  a  seventeenth-century  conser- 
vatory, intended  rather  for  displaying  plants  when  they 
have  reached  perfection,  than  for  rearing  and  fostering 
them  as  in  a  modern  greenhouse.  It  serves  also  as  a 
meeting-place  for  games  and  conversation,  like  a  casino. 
The  style  of  architecture  resembles  that  of  the  house, 
but  it  was  built  at  a  later  period. 

The  In  the  centre  of  the  garden  is  its  sole  piece  of 

sculpture,  a  marble  fountain,  with  a  fluted  cup  around 
which  three  children  hand  in  hand  are  dancing  in  a 
basin  of  water.  This  is,  of  course,  more  in  the  style 
of  the  late  Renaissance  than  in  that  of  the  early  Tudor 
period.  A  jet  of  water  spouts  from  the  bottom  of  the 
cup  and  overflows  into  the  basin  below.  Such  an 
arrangement  is  suggested  by  Worlidge,  who  says,  "  In 
the  centre  of  your  garden  is  a  fountain  of  spring  water 
always  flowing,  serving  not  only  to  refresh  the  spirits 


TUDOR  GARDENS 


127 


of  such  that  delight  in  the  sight  of  it,  but  is  necessary 
in  dry  and  hot  seasons  to  preserve  your  choicest  plants 
from  injury." 

The  principal  ideas  in  this  small  garden  might  easily 
be  reproduced  and  could  be  simplified  by  making  the 
fretwork  of  the  beds  less  elaborate.  Although  the 
hedges  and  borders  entail  a  good  deal  of  labour  in 
trimming,  they  play  quite  as  important  a  part  as  the 
flowers  in  producing  the  general  effect. 

One  of  the  last  of  the  Tudor  or  first  of  the  Eliza-  Montacute. 
bethan   gardens   is   at    Montacute.     As   shown    in    the 
plan  below,  the  pleasure  grounds  are  contained  in  three 
enclosures.     At  two  corners  of  the  smallest  are  quaint 
pavilions  called  "gazebos." 


m      m 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   ELIZABETHAN   FLOWER-GARDEN 

HE  fruitful  age  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
brought  both  the  planning  and  the 
planting  of  the  loveliest  English  gar- 
dens very  nearly  to  perfection.  When 
the  other  arts  of  the  Renaissance  had 
reached  their  maturity  and  were  on  the  verge  of  decline, 
garden  making  began  to  develop  rapidly.  Most  of 
the  finest  houses  in  England  were  built  at  this  period. 
After  their  erection  an  attempt  to  give  them  fit 
surroundings  was  a  natural  sequence.  All  conditions 
were  ripe  for  the  evolution  of  delightful  pleasure  gar- 
dens, which  for  form  without  formality  have  never  been 
surpassed.  Both  the  art  and  craft  of  their  construction 
were  understood  as  certainly  never  before,  and  perhaps 
never  afterward.  Like  the  gardens  described  in  Sid- 
ney's "  Arcadia,"  these  were  places  "  not  fairer  in  natural 
ornaments  than  artificial  inventions." 

128 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN      129 

As  an  art  this  garden  making  was  imbued  with  the  AS  an  art. 
creative  as  well  as  the  imitative  spirit  of  the  Renais- 
sance. Men's  eyes  were  opened,  as  if  for  the  first  time, 
to  the  charming  aspects  of  life  old  and 
new,  past  and  present.  A  delight  in  the 
beauty  of  nature  as  well  as  in  that  of 
artistic  invention  seemed  to  develop  spon- 
taneously. Its  practical  outcome  was  the 
creation  of  a  style  of  decoration  known  as  that  of  the 
early  English  Renaissance,  which  was  applied  to  every 
branch  of  design,  and  finally  clothed  the  garden  in 
fanciful  array. 

Past  records,  especially  of  classic  Greece  and  Italy,  AS  a  craft, 
were  searched  for  information  concerning  the  growth 
and  arrangement  of  plants  and  the  garden's  architec- 
tural features.  The  early  books  on  horticulture, 
such  as  Hill's  "Arte  of  Gardening,"  teem  with 
quotations  from  Columella,  Cato,  and  other  ancient 
husbandmen  who  were  considered  great  authorities. 
Gerard,  in  his  herbal  published  in  1597,  says,  for 
instance :  — 

"  Besides   these   and    other    causes    there    are    many  classic 
examples  of  those  that  have  honoured  this  science ;  for  pree 
to  pass  by  a  multitude  of  philosophers,  it  may  please 
your  Honour  to  call  to  remembrance  that  which  you 
know   of    some    noble    Princes    that   have   joyned   this 
studie    with    their    most    important    matters    of    state : 


130 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Growth  of 
individual- 
ity. 


Mithridates  the  Great  was  famous  for  his  knowledge 
herein  as  Plutarch  noteth ;  Euan,  also,  King  of  Arabia, 
the  happy  garden  of  the  world  for  principal  simples, 
wrote  of  this  argument  as  Plinie  sheweth ;  Diocletian 
might  he  have  his  praise,  had  he  not  drowned  all  his 
honour  in  the  blood  of  his  persecution.  To  conclude 
this  point,  the  example  of  Salomon  is  before  the  rest 
and  greater,  whose  wisdom  and  knowledge  was  such, 
that  he  was  able  to  set  out  the  nature  of  all  plants  from 
the  highest  cedar  to  the  lowest.moss." 

Early  in  the  Renaissance  the  advice  of  these  classic 
writers  was  offered  by  Thomas  Hill  and  other  English 
authors,  apparently  on  the  supposition  that  it  would  be 
followed  literally,  without  considering 
that  the  passage  of  centuries  and 
the  difference  between  Italian  and 
English  customs  and  climate  might 
destroy  a  part  of  its  usefulness.  But 
the  Elizabethan  age  continued  after 
the  death  of  Elizabeth,  and  in  the 
seventeenth  century  the  growth  of  individuality  made 
slavish  imitation  impossible.  Precedent  was  followed 
only  when  suitable,  and  useless  traditions  were  cast 
aside.  Then  systems  of  horticulture  were  evolved, 
adapted  to  a  particular  age,  climate,  and  country. 
Each  nation  had  its  own  garden  literature.  In  this 
direction  the  French  took  the  lead,  and  in  the  "  Maison 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN      131 


Rustique,"  translated  by  Markham,  it  was  first  pointed 
out   that    "  The   frame    and    toil    used    on    our    French 
Country    Farms    be    not    alto- 
gether like  that  of  former  and 
ancient  days." 

Sir  Hugh  Platt  in  "  Floraes 
Paradise,"  Markham  in  his 
books  on  gardening,  and  Law- 
son  in  "  A  New  Orchard  and 
Garden "  show  the  develop- 
ment of  a  style  of  gardens 
particularly  appropriate  to  England.  The  descriptions 
given  by  Markham  and  Lawson  are  especially  inter- 
esting. 

Cautiously  the  idea  was  introduced  at  this  time  that  a  Gardens  as 

,  .  r     .  ,  r  ,    useful  orna- 

thmg  of  beauty  might  be  an  excuse  in  itself,  and  ments. 
this  led  to  the  garden  of  pleasure,  or  flower-garden. 
But  orchards,  herbaries,  and  kitchen  gardens  were 
not  done  away  with,  and  at  the  outset  even  the 
pleasure  garden  was  excused  as  having  a  useful  side. 
For  instance,  in  the  "  Maison  Rustique,"  the  author 
concludes  his  statement  that  "the  most  pleasant 
and  delectable  thing  in  our  French  gardens  is  the 
flower  garden  as  well  in  respect  as  it  serveth  the 
chief  lord  whose  inheritance  it  is  to  solace  himself 
therein,"  by  adding,  "  as  also  in  respect  to  their  ser- 
vice to  set  beehives  in."  Gerard  also  points  out  that 


132  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

most    gardens    were    of    practical    service    as    well    as 
pleasure-giving,    in   fact,  useful   ornaments. 

"  For  if  delight  may  provoke  men's  labour,  what 
greater  delight  is  there  than  to  behold  the  earth 
apparelled  with  plants,  as  with  a  robe  of  embroidered 
worke,  set  with  orient  pearls,  and  garnished  with 
great  diversitie  of  rare  and  costlie  jewels?  If  this 
varietie  and  perfection  of  colours  may  affect  the  eie, 
it  is  such  in  herbes  and  flowers  that  no  Apelles,  no 
Zeuxis  ever  could  by  any  art  expresse  the  like ;  if 
odours  or  if  taste  may  work  satisfaction,  they  are 
both  so  soveraigne  in  plants,  and  so  comfortable 
that  no  confection  of  the  Apothecaries  can  equal 
their  excellent  vertue.  But  these  delights  are  in  the 
outward  senses:  the  principal  delight  is  in  the  minde, 
singularly  enriched  with  the  knowledge  of  these 
visible  things,  setting  forth  to  us  the  invisible  wisdom 
and  admirable  workmanship  of  Almighty  God.  The 
delight  is  great,  but  the  use  greater  and  joyned  often 
with  necessitie." 

inflnence  of  The  discovery  of  the  New  World  largely  increased 
cry  of  the  range  of  horticulture.  When  England  joined 
in  the  great  maritime  movement  carried  on  by 
other  nations  from  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  her  explorers  returned  with  ship-loads  of 
"outlandish  commodities."  Among  these  imports  was 
an  abundance  of  plants.  Just  as  the  art  of  gardening 


THE    ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       133 

had  been  developed  by  the  fresh  appreciation  of  the 
beauty  of  classic  design,  so  the  desire  to  naturalize 
these  exotics  stimulated  gardening  as  a  craft. 

A    good    comparison    between    the   decadent    condi-  improve- 
ment in  hor- 
tion  of  gardens  in  the  past,  compared  with  their  pros-  ticuiture. 

perity  in  his  day,  is  prefaced  by  Harrison  to  the  second 
edition  of  Holinshed's  "Chronicles,"  published  in  1580. 

"  Such  herbs,  roots,  and  fruits  as  grow  yearly  out 
of  the  ground  have  been  very  plentiful  in  the  time 
of  the  first  Edward  and  after  his  days;  but  in  the 
process  of  time  they  also  grew  to  be  neglected,  so 
that  from  Henry  the  Fourth  until  the  latter  end  of 
Henry  the  Seventh  and  the  beginning  of  Henry  the 
Eighth  there  was  little  or  no  use  of  them  in  Eng- 
land, but  they  remained  either  unknown  or  supposed 
as  food  more  meet  for  hogs  and  savage  beasts  than 
mankind." 

After  relating  at  length  how  good  husbandry  had 
become  almost  a  lost  art,  he  begins  to  expatiate  upon 
its  reestablishment. 

"  If  you  look  into  our  gardens  annexed  to  our 
houses,  how  wonderfully  is  their  beauty  increased 
not  only  with  flowers,  which  Columella  calleth  '  Ter- 
rena  Sidera,'  saying  '  Pinget  in  varios  terrestria  sidera 
flores,'  and  variety  of  curious  and  costlie  workmanship, 
but  also  with  rare  and  medicinable  herbs  sought  up 
in  the  land  within  these  forty  years,  so  that  in 


134  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

comparison  with  this  present  the  ancient  gardens  were 
but  dung-hills  and  laistovves  to  such  as  did  possess 
them.  How  art  also  helpeth  nature  in  the  daily  col- 
ouring, doubling  and  enlarging  the  proportion  of  our 
flowers,  it  is  incredible  to  report;  for  so  curious  and 
cunning  are  our  gardeners  now  in  these  days  that 
they  presume  to  do  in  manner 'what  they  list  with 
nature  and  moderate  her  course  in  things  as  if  they 
were  her  superiors. 
Naturaiiza-  "  It  is  a  world  also  to  see  how  many  strange  herbs, 

tion  of 

exotics.  plants,  and  annual  fruits  are  daily  brought  unto  us 
from  the  Indies,  Americans,  Taprobane,  Canary  Isles, 
and  all  parts  of  the  world.  .  .  .  There  is  not  almost 
one  noble  gentleman  or  merchant  that  hath  not  great 
store  of  these  flowers,  which  now  also  begin  to  wax 
so  well  acquainted  with  our  soils  that  we  may  almost 
account  of  them  as  parcel  of  our  own  commodities. 
They  have  no  less  regard  for  medicinable  herbs 
fetched  out  of  other  countries  nearer  hand:  inso- 
much that  I  have  seen  in  some  one  garden  to  the 
number  of  three  or  four  hundred  of  them  if  not 
more,  the  half  of  whose  names  within  forty  years  past 
we  had  no  manner  of  knowledge." 

In  conclusion  he  states  with  just  pride,  although 
with  questionable  authority,  "  I  am  persuaded  that 
albeit  the  gardens  of  the  Hesperides  were  so  greatly 
accounted  of  because  of  their  delicacy,  yet  if  it  were 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN      135 

possible  to  have  such  an  equal  judge  ...  I  doubt 
not  he  would  give  the  prize  unto  the  garden  of  our 
days." 

To  appreciate  the  number  of  new  plants  introduced 
at  this  period,  we  have  only  to  compare  the  Eliza- 
bethan herbals  with  those  of  earlier  dates.  Gerard's 
list  of  plants  grown  in  his  own  garden,  and  his  herbal 
imitated  from  the  Dutch  work  of  Dodoens,  but  con- 
taining much  original  material,  are  the  most  valuable 
sources  of  information. 

The   reconstruction  of   Elizabethan  gardens  is  com-  Reconstmc- 
paratively   simple.       Not  only  herbals  giving  the  lists  Elizabethan 

garden. 

of  plants  they  contained,  treatises  on  horticulture 
advising  how  they  should  be  cultivated,  and  books 
showing  how  they  were  to  be  planned  and  ornamented 
have  been  handed  down  to  us,  but  many  of  the 
actual  gardens  remain  with  their  architectural  features 
unaltered,  and  only  slightly  injured  by  changes  in  the 
style  of  planting.  The  gardens  described  were  often- 
est  on  a  small  scale,  for,  as  Markham  suggests, 
"  Great  cages  make  the  bird  never  a  whit  the 
better." 

The  house  might  be  placed  practically  wherever  the 
owner  pleased.  One  writer  advised  that  it  should  be 
located  "on  the  edge  of  some  great  hill,  upon  some 
small  hill,  or  the  top  of  the  hill  if  the  country  be 
tempestuous  and  full  of  mountains,"  while  another 


136 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE,  GARDENS 


considered  the  lowlands  more  desirable.  Evidently 
it  was  a  matter  of  taste,  for  actually  there  are  Eliza- 
bethan gardens  still  to  be  seen  in  every  variety  of 
location,  —  on  hillsides,  as  at  St.  Catherine's  Court ; 
on  hilltops,  as  at  Hatfield ;  and  on  level  ground,  as 
at  Montacute. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  house  w%as  often  a  forecourt. 
This  was  a  rectangular  enclosure  surrounding  a  grass 
plot  divided  by  a  path  leading  to  the  house  and 
sometimes  containing  fish-ponds  and  a  dove-house. 
"  Near  unto  the  same  you  shall  make  your  ground 

dove-house  if  the  law  will 
permit  you  such  a  one,  in 
fashion  like  a  round  turret 
in  the  midst  of  your  court." 
Many  forecourts  have  been 
done  away  with,  but  there 
are,  fortunately,  a  few  re- 
maining. Of  these,  good 
examples  are  at  Levens  in 
Westmoreland,  at  Sandywell  and  King's  Weston  in 
Gloucestershire,  at  Mount  Morris,  and  at  Charleston 
manor-house. 

The  number  and  character  of  the  gardens  depended 
of  course  on  the  taste  and  affluence  of  the  owner. 
If  he  were  poor,  he  might  not  be  able  to  afford  more 
than  one  enclosure,  containing,  like  the  early  Tudor 


A  C1R.CULAR    DOVE-COT  :  HARLESTON 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       137 

gardens,  all  sorts  of  plants.  But  if  he  were  rich 
enough  to  follow  the  fashion,  he  would  separate  his 
plantations  into  three  or  four  divisions,  in  each  of 
which  a  certain  kind  of  vegetation  predominated.  De 
Serres  recommended  four  divisions,  —  the  kitchen  gar- 
den, the  nosegay  garden,  the  medicinal  and  the  fruit 
garden.  Markham  was  satisfied  with  two,  —  one  for 
the  "household  garden,"  the  other  the  "garden  for 
flowers  and  sweet  smells."  But  all  were  more  or  less 
intended  for  profit  as  well  as  pleasure.  Ornamental 
features  were  then  included,  and  are  still  often  retained, 
in  the  English  kitchen  garden,  herbary,  and  orchard ; 
while  even  such  a  princely  pleasure  garden  as  Bacon 
describes,  contained  certain  homely  herbs  and  vege- 
tables. In  the  "  garden  for  flowers  and  sweet  smells  " 
Markham  suggests  that  "about  the  hedge  we  shall 
set  for  to  make  pottage  withal,  pease,  beans,  citrons, 
cucumbers,  and  such  like." 

Pleasure  gardens  were  always  connected  as  closely  pleasure 
as  possible  with  the  house,  to  form  a  prolongation  of 
the  living  rooms.  If  practicable,  the  drawing-room 
opened  into  the  parterre  of  flowers;  if  not,  a  terrace 
formed  the  means  of  intercommunication.  As  Surflet 
says  in  his  translation  of  a  portion  of  the  "  Maison 
Rustique  " :  "  It  is  a  commendable  and  seemly  thing  to 
behold  out  at  a  window  many  acres  of  ground  well 
tilled  and  husbanded,  whether  it  be  a  meadow,  a  plot 


138  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

for  planting  of  willows,  or  arable  ground  as  we  have 
stood  upon  heretofore;  but  yet  it  is  much  more  to 
behold  fair  and  comely  proportions,  handsome  and 
pleasant  arbours,  and  as  it  were  closets,  delightful 
borders  of  lavender,  rosemary,  box,  and  other  such  like, 
to  hear  the  ravishing  music  of  an  infinite  number  of 
pretty  small  birds  which  continually,  day  and  night, 
do  chatter  and  chant  their  proper  and  natural  branch- 
songs  upon  the  hedges  and  trees  of  the  garden ;  and 
to  smell  so  sweet  a  nosegay  so  near  at  hand,  seeing 
that  this  so  fragrant  a  smell  cannot  but  refresh  the 
Lord  of  the  Farm  exceedingly,  when  going  out  of  his 
bedchamber  in  the  morning  after  the  sun-rise  and 
whiles  as  yet  the  clear  and  pearl-like  dew  doth 
perch  unto  the  grass,  he  giveth  himself  to  hear  the 
melodious  music  of  the  bees,  which  busying  them- 
selves in  gathering  of  the  same,  do  also  fill  the  air 
with  a  most  acceptable  sweet  and  pleasant  harmony; 
besides  the  borders  and  continued  rows  of  soveraigne, 
thyme,  balm,  rosemary,  marjoram,  cypers,  sothern- 
wood,  and  other  fragrant  herbs,  the  sight  and  view 
whereof  cannot  but  give  great  contentment  unto  the 
beholder." 
The  ground  The  outline  of  the  garden  was  carefully  designed 

olan 

to  suit  its  particular  location,  and  to  be  on  the  right 
scale.  "  You  are  very  much  to  consider  the  form  and 
proportions  of  the  same,"  writes  Markham,  "  wherein, 


THE    ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       139 

according  to  the  opinion  of  Serres  and  Vinet,  you  must 
be  much  ruled  by  the  nature  of  the  soil." 

Each  portion  of  the  garden  was  made  almost  perfectly 
level,  though  parts  of  it  might  be  raised  above  the  re- 
mainder. Raised  walks,  as  at  Brickwall  and  Longleat, 
often  ran  around  the  outer  edge  above  the  parterre. 

On  a  hillside  a  garden  was  frequently  laid  out  in  a  Differences 
series  of  terraces.  "  You  may  also,  if  your  ground  be 
naturally  so  seated,  or  if  your  industry  please  so  to  bring 
it  to  pass,  make  your  garden  rise  and  mount  by  several 
degrees,  one  level  ascending  above  another,  which  is 
exceeding  beautiful  to  the  eye  and  very  beneficial  to 
your  flowers  and  fruit  trees,  especially  if  such  ascents 
have  the  benefit  of  the  sun  rising  upon  them." 

At  St.  Catherine's  Court  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing series  of  terraced  gardens  in  England.  Instead  of 
descending,  the  terraces  ascend  above  the  house.  It  is 
unfortunate  that  the  clipped  trees  at  the  entrance  to  the 
gardens  have  grown  entirely  out  of  scale ;  otherwise 
from  the  house,  as  the  illustration  shows,  the  effect  pro- 
duced would  be  altogether  charming. 

The  form  of  the  outer  enclosure,  as  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  usually  remained  rectangular.  Round,  oval,  and 
diamond  shapes  are  also  mentioned  as  correct  for  the 
"  Verge  and  Girdle  of  your  Garden,"  but  square  or 
oblong  was  evidently  customary. 

The  most  characteristic  boundary  of  an  Elizabethan 


140 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Baluatrad- 
ing. 


Material 
of  the 
enclosure. 


garden  was  a  sort  of  openwork  stone  balustrading, 
either  placed  directly  on  the 
ground  or  surmounting  a  wall 
of  stone  or  brick.  Such  balus- 
trading is  to  be  seen  at  Mon- 
tacute,  Bramshill,  Claverton 
Manor,  and  many  other  houses. 
Several  good  examples  are  shown  in  the  illustrations. 

"  An  earthen  wall,  if  coped  with  glue  and  mortar  and 
planted  with  wall  flowers,"  was  recommended  by  Mark- 
ham  where  neither  stone  nor  wood  was  to  be  had,  and 
was  a  favourite  resort  of  bees.  Hedges,  elaborately 
planted  with  a  variety  of  trees  and  shrubs,  wooden  pal- 
ings, differing  but  little  from  those  described  in  the 
last  chapter,  and  brick  walls,  brought  to  a  greater  perfec- 
tion in  the  Stuart  period,  sometimes  formed  the  outer 
boundary  line.  Moats  are  mentioned  by  Markham,  but 

they    had    become    almost    

obsolete  except  as  orna- 
ments or  preserves  for  fish. 
Entrances.  The  entrance  was  an  im- 
portant and  salient  feature. 
The  most  elaborate  was 
guarded  on  each  side  by  a 
gatehouse.  Ordinary  gate- 
ways were  either  flanked  by  stone  piers  or  arched  over 
with  stonework.  Ornaments,  such  as  balls,  obelisks, 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       141 


or  heraldic  beasts,  were  placed  on  top  of  the  piers,  as 
shown  in  the  accompanying  illustrations.  Covered 
gateways  were  also  surmounted 
with  ornaments.  Interesting  exam- 
ples are  to  be  seen  in  many  places. 
A  terrace  was  usually  intimately 
connected  with  the  house,  on  a 
vantage  ground  at  least  three  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  garden.  Its 
extent  varied  according  to  the 
size  of  the  neighbouring  buildings  and  the  exigencies 
of  the  location,  and  the  width  depended  upon  the 
length.  The  edge  was  protected  by  a  parapet  orna- 
mented by  stone  balustrades  or  openwork.  The  sur- 
face of  the  ground  might 
be  covered  either  with  grass 
or  gravel,  and  was  some- 
times bordered  with  flowers. 
Such  a  terrace  added  much 
to  the  dignity  of  a  mansion, 
and  often  furnished  a  most 
attractive  view  of  the  garden 
and  the  surrounding  country.  At  Haddon  Hall  is  a 
very  beautiful  and  familiar  terrace  shaded  by  some  fine 
old  trees.  Another  well-known  example  is  at  the  Hall, 
Bradford-on-Avon.  At  Bramshill  the  terrace  serves  as 
a  bowling-green,  and  is  furnished  with  seats  in  niches 


Terraces. 


1 


TERR  AGE:  kBOWUNG  GREEN -.BXAMSH1U. 


142  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

at  each  end.  In  connection  with  every  Elizabethan 
house  a  terrace  was  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception. 
Its  advantages  are  charmingly  described  in  the  account 
of  Queen  Elizabeth's  visit  to  Kenilworth. 

The  view  The  relation  between  the  garden  and  the  terrace  is 

terrace.  also  well  pointed  out  by  Sir  Henry  Wotton.  "  First,  I 
must  note  a  certain  contrariety  .Between  building  and 
gardening;  for  as  Fabricks  should  be  regular  so  Gar- 
dens should  be  irregular,  or  at  least  cast  into  a  very  wild 
Regularity.  To  exemplifie  my  conceit,  I  have  seen  a 
Garden,  for  the  manner  perchance  incomparable,  into 
which  the  first  Access  was  a  high  Walk  like  a  Tarrace, 
from  whence  might  be  taken  a  general  view  of  the 
whole  Plot  below,  but  rather  in  a  delightful  confusion, 
than  with  any  plain  distinction  of  the  pieces.  From  this 
the  Beholder,  descending  many  steps,  was  afterwards  con- 
veyed again  by  several  mountings  and  valings  to  various 
entertainments  and  of  his  scent  and  sight,  which  I  shall 
not  need  to  describe,  for  that  were  poetical,  let  me  only 
note  this,  that  every  one  of  these  diversities  was  as  if  he 
had  been  magically  transported  into  a  new  Garden." 
walks.  As  an  opportunity  for  taking  exercise  was  one  of  the 

objects  in  having  a  garden,  the  enclosure  was  intersected 
by  numerous  foot-paths.  At  Hampton  Court  Queen 
Elizabeth  used  "  to  catche  her  heat  in  the  colde  morn- 
ings with  a  brisk  walk,"  though,  at  times  when  conscious 
of  observation,  "  she  was  the  very  image  of  majesty  and 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       143 


magnificence,  went  slowly  and  marched  with  leisure  and 
with  a  certain  grandity  rather  than  gravity."  Hentzner 
mentions  that  at  Oxford,  "  As  soon  as  Grace  was  said 
after  every  meal  every  one  is  at  liberty  either  to  retire 
to  his  own  chambers,  or  to  walk  in  the  College  garden, 
there  being  none  that  has  not  a  delightful  one." 

No  rules  about  the  proportions  of  paths  were  given,  The  forma- 
tion of 
but  as  a  general  thing  they  were  rather  narrower  than  paths. 

at  present.  Markham  considers  six  feet  sufficient  for 
wide  walks.  Ordinarily,  they  were  strewn  with  fine 
sand,  or  paved  with  tiles  or  with  squares  of  stone  like 
the  flagging  in  front  of  St.  Catherine's  Court.  Fine 
yellow  gravel  mixed  with  pebbles  and  coal  dust  was 
recommended  as  de- 
structive to  weeds, 
but  otherwise  con- 
sidered undesirable. 
Grass  walks  seem 
to  have  been  less 
common  than  in 
the  next  century. 

Alleys,  as  the 
broader  paths  were 
called,  were  often 
shaded  by  trees, 
their  branches 
pleached  in  an  arch. 


COVE.RED  WALK  5HRUBLANDS 


144 


ENGLISH   PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Wooden 
galleries. 


Hornbeam,  witch-elm,  and  yew  were  used  for  this  pur- 
pose. Such  pleached  alleys  often  surrounded  the  gar- 
den, and  exist  to-day  at  Hatfield,  Shrublands  and  many 
other  places. 

Wooden   galleries,    answering   the   same   purpose  as 
covered    alleys   of    pleached    trees,    were    usually   con- 


structed in  all  the  larger  gardens.  The  roof  was  almost 
invariably  arched  and  covered  with  vines.  On  the  side 
toward  the  garden  were  apertures  for  viewing  its 
arrangement.  Turrets  of  latticework  accented  the 
corners  and  sometimes  the  middle  of  the  gallery.  A 
great  variety  of  different  forms  are  shown  in  Vredeman's 
"  Hortorum  Viridariorumque,"  published  at  Antwerp  in 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       145 


1583,  in  the  engravings  by  Crispin  de  Passe  illustrating 
the  "  Hortus  Floridus,"  and  in  many  contemporaneous 
pictures.  Such  galleries  corresponded  to  the  classic 
portico  and  the  monastic  cloisters,  and  were  a  survival 
from  the  mediaeval  pleasaunce.  The  construction  of  the 
simpler  forms  was  minutely  described  in  the  "  Jardinier 
Hollandais,"  by  J.  van  der  Groen,  in  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century. 

There  were  also  arbours,  garden-houses,  and  banquet-  Arbours, 
ing  houses  in  similar  styles  and  of  more  or  less  elaborate 
forms.  Green  arbours,  Markham  says,  were  covered 
with  the  wild  vine,  hops,  jasmine,  Mary's  seal,  musk- 
roses,  woodbine,  gourds,  cucumber,  and  sweetbrier,  and 
might  shade  a  wooden  bench  or  a  bank  of  camomile. 
Often  they  were  built  in  the  shape  of  a  round  turret. 
Clipped  cypress,  bay,  cedar,  and  box  trees,  planted  in 
the  ground,  in  flower-pots 
or  in  wooden  cases,  were 
used  to  mark  the  entrance 
to  the  arbour. 

Garden-houses  were 
placed  in  all  the  more 
ambitious  gardens.  The 
plan  was  usually  either 
square  or  octagonal.  The 

building  was  composed  of  one  or  two  stories,  and 
seldom  contained  more  than  one  room  on  a  floor. 


146 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Sometimes  the  side  toward  the  garden  was  left  open, 
as  in  the  little  wooden  pavilion  in  the  old  gardens  at 
Whitehall.  Others  were  substan- 
tially built  of  stone,  like  the  well- 
known  gazebos  at  Montacute. 
Usually  they  were  located  in  the 
corners  of  the  garden  or  in  the 
centre  of  the  wall,  at  the  end  of 
the  main  path.  Two  views  of  one  at  Packwood  are 
shown  in  the  illustrations.  An  elaborate  and  fanciful 
garden-house  is  at  Chipping  Camden,  Gloucester- 
shire, while  the  triangular  lodge  at  Rushton  is  even 
more  quaintly  designed. 

Mounts.  Mounts  continued  to  be  raised  in  the  centres  or  the 

corners  of  gardens.  Mandelso  mentions  one  at  Theo- 
balds, called  the 
Mount  of  Venus, 
"which  is  placed  in 
the  midst  of  a  laby- 
rinth, and  is,  upon 
the  whole,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful 
spots  in  the  world." 
In  the  garden  at 
Whitehall  stood  a 

"Parnassus  Mount,  on  top  of  which  was  the    Pegasus, 
a    golden   horse   with    wings,   and   divers   statues,    one 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       147 

of  black  marble  representing  the  river  Thames,  beneath 
which  is  this  Latin  distich  in  letters  of  gold:  — 

" '  Me  pones  imperium,  emporium  sunt  classis  et  artes, 
Et  schola  bene  floxens,  florida  prata  rigo.1 

It  far  surpasses  the  Parnassus  Mount  in  the  Pratolino 
near  Florence."  Less  pretentious  mounts  were  capped 
with  arbours  or  summer-houses. 

Lawson  favoured  a  mount  built  of  stone  or  wood 
"  curiously  wrought  within  and  without,"  or  of  earth 
covered  with  fruit  trees.  On  such  a  mount,  he  says, 
"  you  might  sit  and  angle  a  peckled  trout,  or  a  sleighte 
Eele,  or  some  other  fish "  in  the  old  moat  outside  the 
wall,  or  in  a  stream  meandering  close  by.  Or  if  the 
mount  overlooked  the  park,  there  was  "  nothing  to  pre- 
vent your  taking  an  occasional  shot  at  a  buck." 

For  the  inner  enclosure  or  "inward  proportions,"  as  The  inner 

enclosure. 

they  were  called,  "  You  may  draw  your  garden  into 
what  form  soever  you  please,  not  respecting  that  shape 
soever  the  outer  verge  carrieth :  for  you  may  make  the 
garden  which  is  square  without  to  be  round  within,  and 
that  which  is  round  without,  either  square  or  oval ;  that 
which  is  oval  either  of  the  former,  and  that  which  is 
diamond  any  shape  at  all,  and  yet  all  exceedingly 
comely."  This  enclosure  might  be  formed  by  a  railed 
fence  or  by  a  low  hedge  of  cypress,  box,  or  juniper. 

The    intersection    of    the    paths    and    counterpaths  Tn» 
usually  divided  the  garden  into  four  quarters.     "  These  q' 


148  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

inward  quarters  wherein  you  place  the  knots  or  other 
devices  may  be  bound  as  well  with  fine  envious  hedges 
made  battlementwise  in  sundry  forms,  according  to  in- 
vention, or  carrying  the  proportions  of  pilasters,  flowers, 
shapes  of  beasts,  birds,  creeping  things,  ships,  trees, 
and  suchlike."  These  hedges  were  considered  advan- 
tageous, because  they  did  not  take  up  much  room  and 
could  be  set  with  a  variety  of  different  shrubs.  The 
frame  of  the  design  was  constructed  either  of  wood  or 
wire. 

In  "  Floraes  Paradise,"  Sir  Hugh  Platt  says,  "  Instead 
of  privie  hedges  about  a  quarter  I  commend  a  fence 
made  of  lath  or  sticks  thinly  placed  and  after  graced 
with  dwarf  apple  and  plomme  trees,  spread  abroad  upon 
the  stick."  This  is  one  of  the  earliest  mentions  of  trees 
grown  to  form  an  espalier.  As  the  gardens  were  infested 
with  rabbits,  it  was  evidently  necessary  to  have  some 
form  of  protection  for  the  beds. 

The  beds  were  raised  from  one  to  two  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  paths  and  laid  out  in  the  beautiful 
designs  called  knots.  Markham  says  that  the  pattern 
of  the  design  could  not  be  decided  by  rule,  but  de- 
pended upon  the  gardener  and  the  pleasure  of  his 
master,  "  The  one  whereof  is  led  by  the  hops  and 
skips,  turning  and  windings  of  his  brain ;  the  other  by 
the  pleasing  of  his  eye  according  to  his  best  fantasie." 
In  looking  at  the  patterns  of  the  knots  it  must  be 


THE   ELIZABETHAN   FLOWER-GARDEN       149 


The  Country  Houfevifis  Garden. 


Ural* 


remembered  that  they  were  intended  to  be  laid  out  on 
a  large  scale,  each  knot  occu- 
pying a  piece  of  ground  from 
twenty-five  to  one  hundred  feet 
square.  The  knot  was  outlined 
in  box,  lavender,  or  sometimes 
with  an  edging  of  pinks  and 
daisies. 

The  flowers  commonly  planted  Flowers, 
in  the  pleasure  garden  were 
those  considered  as  most  appro- 
priate for  nosegays  and  garlands. 
In  the  "  Country  Farm,"  among 
those  mentioned  to  be  cultivated 

for   this    purpose    are    "  March 

violets,  Provence  Gillo-flowers, 

and   Indian  Gillo-flowers,  small 

Paunces,    Daisies,    yellow    and 

white   Gillo-flowers,  Marigolds, 

Lilly-convally,    Daffodils,    Can- 

terburie-bells,      Purple      velvet 

flowre,     Anemones,    Corn-flag, 

Mugwort,    Lillies,    and     other 

such  like."      Besides  are  men- 
tioned   "All    sorts    of    strange 

flowers   as    is   the   Crown    Im- 

periall,  the  Dulippos  of  sundrie 


ISO  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

kinds,  Narcissus,  Hyacinthus,  Emeryes  Hellitropiano, 
and  a  world  of  others  of  like  nature,  whose  colours 
being  glorious  and  different  make  such  a  brave 
checkered  mixture  that  it  is  both  wondrous  pleasant 
and  delectable  to  behold."  Lawson  was  especially  fond 
of  the  gillyflower,  which  he  considered  "  the  king  of 
the  flowers  except  the  rose";  and  he  dwells  upon  its 
fragrance  and  its  beauty.  Double  marigolds  as  big 
as  roses  were  among  the  showiest  ornaments. 

Bacon  held  that  "in  the  royal  Ordering  of  Gardens 
there  ought  to  be  Gardens  for  all  the  Months  in  the 
Year;  in  which,  severally,  Things  of  Beauty  may  be 
then  in  Season.  For  December  and  January,  and  the 
Bacon's  sug-  Latter  Part  of  November,  you  must  take  such  Things 
a  succession  as  are  Green  all  Winter;  Holly,  Ivy,  Bays,  Juniper, 
Cypress  Trees,  Yew,  Pine-apple  Trees,1  Fir  Trees, 
Rosemary,  Lavender;  Periwinkle,  the  white,  the  pur- 
ple, and  the  blue;  Germander,  Flags,  Orange  Trees, 
Lemon  Trees,  and  Myrtles,  if  they  be  stoved;  and 
Sweet  Marjoram  warm  set.  There  followeth,  for  the 
latter  part  of  January,  and  February,  the  Mezereon 
Tree,  which  then  blossoms ;  Crocus  vernus,  both  the 
yellow,  and  the  gray ;  Primroses,  Anemonies,  the  early 
Tulipa,  Hyacinthus  Orientalis,  Chamairis,  Fritellaria. 
For  March  there  come  Violets,  specially  the  single 
blue,  which  are  the  earliest;  the  Yellow  Daffodil,  the 

1  I.e.  the  Pine,  of  which  several  sorts  were  then  cultivated. 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       151 

Daisy,  the  Almond  Tree  in  blossom,  the  Peach  Tree 
in  blossom,  the  Cornelian  Tree  in  blossom,  Sweet 
Briar.  In  April  follow  the  double  white  Violet,  the 
Wall-flower,  the  Stock  Gilliflower,  the  Cowslip,  Flower 
de  Luces,  and  Lilies  of  all  natures,  Rosemary  Flowers, 
the  Tulipa,  the  Double  Peony,  the  pale  Daffodil,  the 
French  Honeysuckle,  the  Cherry  Tree  in  blossom, 
the  Damascene  and  Plum  Trees  in  blossom,  the 
Whitehorn  in  leaf,  the  Lilac  Tree.  In  May,  and  June 
come  Pinks  of  all  sorts,  specially  the  Blush  Pink; 
Roses  of  all  kinds,  except  the  Musk,  which  comes 
later;  Honeysuckles,  Strawberries,  Bugloss,  Colum- 
bine, the  French  Marygold,  Flos  Africanus,  Cherry 
Tree  in  Fruit,  Ribes,  Figs  in  Fruit,  Rasps,  Vine 
Flowers,  Lavender  in  Flowers,  the  Sweet  Satyrian, 
with  the  White  Flower;  Herba  Muscaria,  Lilium 
Convallium,  the  Apple  Tree  in  blossom.  In  July 
come  Gilliflowers  of  all  varieties,  Musk  Roses,  the 
Lime  Tree  in  blossom,  early  Pears,  and  Plums  in 
Fruit,  Gennitings,1  Quodlins.  In  August,  come  Plums 
of  all  sorts  in  fruit,  Pears,  Apricoks,  Barberries,  Fil- 
berds,  Musk-Melons,  Monks  Hoods  of  all  colours. 
In  September  come  Grapes,  Apples,  Poppies  of  all 
colours,  Peaches,  Melo-Cotones,  Nectarines,  Cornelians,2 

1  Gennitings,  an  early  apple,  its  true  name  June  eating.     Quodlins,  i.e. 
Codlins,  a  boiling  apple. 

2  Melo-cotone,  a  kind  of  quince.     Cornelians,  the   Cornel   or  Cornelian 
cherry  tree.     Wardens,  a  keeping  pear,  by  the  French  called  Poire  de  garde. 


152  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Wardens,  Quinces.  In  October  and  the  beginning 
of  November  come  Services,  Medlars,  Bullaces,  Roses 
cut  or  removed  to  come  late,  Hollyoaks,  and  such 
like.  These  particulars  are  for  the  climate  of  Lon- 
don: but  my  meaning  is  perceived  that  you  may 
have  Ver  perpetuum,  as  the  place  affords.1 

"  And  because  the  Breath  of  Flowers  is  far  sweeter 
in  the  Air  (where  it  comes  and  goes,  like  the  Warb- 
ling of  Musick)  than  in  the  Hand,  therefore  nothing 
is  more  fit  for  that  delight  than  to  know  what  be  the 
Flowers  and  Plants  that  do  best  perfume  the  Air. 
Roses,  Damask  and  Red,  are  fast  Flowers  of  their 
Smells2;  so  that  you  may  walk  by  a  whole  row  of 
them,  and  find  nothing  of  their  Sweetness;  yea 
though  it  be  in  a  Morning's  Dew.  Bays,  likewise, 
yield  no  Smell  as  they  grow;  Rosemary  little,  nor 
Sweet  Marjoram:  that  which,  above  all  others,  yields 
the  Sweetest  Smell  in  the  Air,  is  the  Violet,  specially 
the  White  double  Violet,  which  comes  twice  a  year, 
about  the  middle  of  April,  and  about  Bartholomew- 
tide.  Next  to  that  is  the  Musk  Rose ;  then  the 
Strawberry- Leaves  dying,  with  a  most  excellent  Cordial 

1  In  Mr.  Montague's  edition  this  passage  has  been,  I  know  not  on  what 
authority,  altered  in  the  following  manner :  "  Thus  if  you  will,  you  may  have 
the  Golden  Age  again,  and  a  Spring  all  the  year  long."     The  allusion  is  prob- 
ably to  Virg.  Geor.  II,  149. 

2  "  Fast  flowers  of  their  smells,"  i.e.  do  not  give  them  out  at  any  distance. 
Comp.  "The  History  of  Life  and  Death,"  1638,  12  mo.,  pp.  294-295. 


THE   ELIZABETHAN   FLOWER-GARDEN      153 


Smell;  then  the  Flower  of  the  Vines;  it  is  a 
little  dust,  like  the  dust  of  a  Bent,  which  grows  upon 
the  Cluster  in  the  first  coming  forth ;  then  Sweet 
Briar;  then  Wallflowers  which  are  very  delightful 
to  set  under  a  Parlour  or  lower  Chamber  Window; 
then  Pinks,  specially  the  Matted  Pink,  and  Clove 
Gilliflower;  then  the  Flowers  of  the  Lime-Tree;  then 
the  Honeysuckles,  so  they  be  somewhat  afar  off.  Of 
Bean  Flowers  I  speak  not,  because  they  are  Field 
Flowers.  But  those  which  Perfume  the  Air  most 
delightfully,  not  passed  by  as  the  rest,  but  being  Trod- 
den Upon  and  Crushed,  are  three;  that  is  Burnet, 
Wild  Thyme,  and  Water-Mints.  Therefore,  you  are 
to  set  whole  Alleys  of  them,  to  have  the  Pleasure, 
when  you  walk  or  tread." 

Topiary   work    added    much    to   the    variety   of    the  Topiary 
parterre.      The    firm   foliage    of    the   dark   evergreens, 
clipped  sometimes  into  a  sim- 
ple  straight  hedge,  sometimes 
into  the  most  fantastic  shapes, 
formed  a  background  in  charm- 
ing   contrast     to    the    waving 
masses    of   brilliantly   coloured 

flowers.  In  the  old  gardens  at  Levens  are  many 
delightfully  quaint  figures,  among  them  Queen  Eliza- 
beth and  her  maids  of  honour  represented  as  wearing 
the  fullest  of  hoop-skirts.  At  Packwood  is  simulated 


work. 


154 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  while  at  Cleeve  Prior 
Manor  the  twelve  apostles  hand  in  hand  stand  six 
on  one  side  and  six  on  the  other  along  the  pathway 
from  the  road  to  the  house.  There  are  fine  collec- 
tions of  topiary  work  at  Elvaston  and  at  Ascott 
"Your  Gardiner,"  writes  Lawson,  in  1618,  "can  frame 
your  lesser  wood  to  the  shape*  of  men  armed  in  the 

field,  ready  to  give 
battell :  or  swift  run- 
ning Grey  Hounds 
to  chase  the  Deere, 
or  hunt  the  Hare. 
This  kind  of  hunt- 
ing shall  not  waste 
your  corne  nor  much 
your  coyne."  Bacon 
despised  images  cut  out  in  juniper  or  other  gar- 
den stuff  as  only  fit  to  amuse  children,  but  when 
in  suitable  surroundings,  they  certainly  have  a  dis- 
tinct charm.  For,  above  all,  a  garden  should  furnish 
food  for  the  imagination,  and  these  fantastic  forms 
are  indeed  made  of  such  stuff  as  dreams.  In  the 
sunshine  their  shapes  are  vaguely  outlined  behind 
the  gayly  hued  flowers;  but  as  the  light  grows  dim, 
shadows  lengthen,  and  colour  becomes  indistinguish- 
able, the  quaint  images  of  men  and  beasts,  moving 
darkly  forward  from  the  background,  have  a  mysterious 


A  BUTTRESS  OF  CUPPED  YEW  rARLEY 


THE    ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       155 


fascination  and   transform  the  garden  into  a  new  and 
strange  wonderland. 

•    In    the    water-works    were    given    frequent    opportu-  water- 
nities   for    fanciful    devices.      Every   garden    seems    to 
have    had    a    fountain,    usually   a 
round     basin    with    a    statue    in 
the    centre,  combined  with   a   jet 
of  water.     At    Nonesuch,   Hentz- 
ner  describes  "  two  fountains  that 
spout  water,  one  round,  the  other 
like   a   pyramid,   upon  which   are 
perched   small    birds    that  stream 
water  out  of  their  bills.      In  the 
grove   of    Diana  is  a  very  agree- 
able fountain,  with  Actason  turned 
into  a  stag  as  he   was   sprinkled   by  the  goddess   and 
her  nymphs." 

Cunning  schemes  were  also  contrived  to  surprise  surprises 
the  visitors  to  the  garden  with  a  sudden  shower  bath. 
Hentzner  mentions  having  seen  at  Nonesuch  "a  pyra- 
mid of  marble  full  of  concealed  pipes  which  spurt 
upon  all  those  who  come  within  their  reach."  At 
Whitehall,  he  says  that  "  in  a  garden  joining  to  this 
palace,  there  is  a  jet  d'eau,  with  a  sun-dial,  which, 
while  strangers  are  looking  at  it,  a  quantity  of  water 
forced  by  a  wheel  which  the  gardener  turns  at  a  dis- 
tance through  a  number  of  little  pipes,  plentifully 


TOVNTAIN  TRINITY  COLLEGE 


1 56 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 


Bathing 
pools. 


Fish-ponds. 


sprinkles  those  that  are  standing  round."  The  Duke 
of  Wirtemburg  remarked  upon  one  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
few  erections  at  Hampton  Court,  "a  splendid  high 
and  massy  fountain,  with  a  water-work  by  which  you 
can,  if  you  like,  make  the  water  play  upon  the  ladies 
and  others  who  are  standing  by,  and  give  them  a 
thorough  wetting."  It  was  evidently  considered  highly 
amusing  to  victimize  unfortunates  with  such  practical 
jokes.  Our  sense  of  humour  has  apparently  changed 
far  more  than  our  sense  of  beauty  since  the  days  of 
the  virgin  queen. 

Bathing  pools  are  mentioned  by  Bacon  in  his  essay 
"  On  Gardens."  He  describes  a  "faire  Receipt  of 
Water  of  some  Thirty  or  Forty  Foot  Square,  but  with- 
out Fish  or  Slime  or  Mud,"  with  sides  and  bottom 
paved  with  stone,  and  water  flowing  in  and  out  per- 
petually. It  was  to  be  encompassed  with  "fine  Railes 
of  low  Statuas,"  and  embellished  with  coloured  glass. 
A  square  pool  at  Penshurst  may  have  been  intended 
for  bathing.  It  is  placed  at  a  secluded  end  of  the 
gardens,  and  surrounded  by  a  hedge.  The  illustration 
shows  a  corner  with  steps  conveniently  placed  for  a 
bather  leading  into  the  water. 

Many  gardens  contained  fish-ponds,  usually  built  of 
brick  or  stone,  and  of  square  or  oblong  shape.  In 
Sir  Philip  Sidney's  "Arcadia"  is  described  a  "fair 
Pond  whose  shaking  Crystal  was  a  perfect  Mirror  to 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN      157 


all  the  other  Beauties."  Ducks  and  swans  as  well  as 
fish  were  often  admitted  to  the  water.  In  a  plan 
showing  the  lay-out  of  the  ground  surrounding  Hol- 
denby  House  in  Northamptonshire, 
as  it  existed  in  1587,  there  are  seven 
ponds  varying  in  size,  but  all  oblong. 
Quaint  conceits  were  devised  for 
ornaments.  Sir  Hugh  Platt  sug- 
gests procuring  flower-pots  twice  the 
usual  size,  perforated  with  holes  an 
inch  apart  and  an  inch  in  circum- 
ference. A  lily  or  a  carnation  was 
planted  in  the  middle  of  the  pot, 
and  in  the  holes  thyme  or  hyssop  kept  evenly  clipped. 
"  Set  these  pots  upon  faire  pillars  in  your  garden 
to  make  a  beautiful  shew."  The  design  of  flower- 
pots was  often  elaborate.  Pyramids, 
lozenges,  circles,  pentagons,  or  any  form 
of  beast  or  fowl,  in  wood,  stone,  or 
burnt  clay,  with  similar  holes  planted 
with  rosemary  or  another  herb,  formed 
an  attractive  feature.  Other  ornaments 
were  gilded  wooden  images  and  round  balls  of  coloured 
glass  to  catch  the  sunlight,  and  sun-dials.  Statuary 
was  considered  by  Bacon  an  innovation  adding  to 
the  state  and  magnificence,  but  nothing  to  the  true 
pleasure  of  a  garden. 


Ornaments. 


158 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Tennis- 
courts. 


Other  play- 
grounds. 


The  Cowry  Houfetfifts  Garden. 


Tennis  was  still  a  favourite  amusement,  and  the 
tennis-court  an  adjunct  to  the  garden.  It  was  when 
Queen  Elizabeth  was  seated  in  the  gallery  of  a  tennis- 
court  watching  a  game  between  the  Duke  of  Norfolk 
and  the  Earl  of  Leicester  that  "  my  Lord  Robert  being 
verie  hotte  and  swettinge,  took  the  Queens  napken  oute 
of  her  hande,  and  wyped  his  .face,  which  the  Duke 
seeinge,  saide  that  he  was  too  sawsie,  and  swore  that 
he  wolde  laye  his  racket  upon  his  face.  Hereupon 
rose  a  great  treble,  and  the  Queen  offended  sore  with 
the  Duke."  It  will  be  remembered  that  Sir  Philip 
Sidney's  famous  quarrel  with  the  Earl  of  Oxford  also 
took  place  in  a  tennis-court. 

Greens  for  archery  and  bowling 
continued  to  be  laid  out  in  con- 
nection with  the  garden.  Mazes 
afforded  a  form  of  amusement 
not  too  childish  for  grown  people, 
who  retained  a  fondness  for  all 
such  quips  and  cranks. 

In  contrast  to  the  prim  regu- 
larity of  the  parterre  a  few  gardens 
contained  a  "  wilderness,"  which 
was  a  more  ordinary  feature  at  a 
later  period.  Bacon's  account  of 
the  wilderness  in  his  essay  on  gardens  shows  that 
it  was  then  a  piece  of  enclosed  ground,  comprising 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       159 


BOWLING  ALLEY:  BROOKE N 


thickets    of    sweetbrier,    honeysuckle,   and    grape-vines, 
and     mounds    of     earth,    covered     with    various     cul- 
tivated flowers.     It  was  a  tangle 
not  planted  in  any  order,  and  not 
containing    trees    like    the    later 
wildernesses,    which    were    devel- 
oped by  Le  Notre  into  the  famous 
bosquets  at  Versailles. 

The  kitchen  garden  in  its 
way  was  also  made  beautiful. 
"  Though  your  garden  for  flowers 
doth  in  a  sort  peculiarly  challenge  itself,  a  profit  and  Theidtchem 
exquisite  form  to  the  eyes,  yet  you  may  not  altogether 
neglect  this  where  your  herbs  for  the  pot  do  grow. 
And,  therefore,  some  here  make  comely  borders  with 
the  herbs  aforesaid.  The  rather,  because  roses  and 
lavender  yield  much  profit.  The  beds  need  not  here 
be  raised.  You  place  your  herbs  of  biggest  growth 
by  walls,  or  in  borders,  and  the  lowest  in  the  midst." 

As  yet  the  distinction  between  an  orchard  and  a  The  orchard, 
garden  was  not  very  marked.  Lawson  describes  them 
collectively  in  his  "  Orchard  and  Garden,"  which  was 
written  in  the  Elizabethan  spirit  although  it  did  not 
appear  until  1618.  It  is  full  of  practical  directions  as 
well  as  charming  sentiments. 

"  The  very  works  of  and  in  an  Orchard  and  Garden 
are    better   than    the  ease   and   rest  of  and  from  other 


160  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

labours.  When  God  had  made  man  after  his  own 
Image  in  a  perfect  state,  and  would  have  him  represent 
himself  in  authority,  tranquility  and  pleasure  upon  the 
Earth,  He  placed  him  in  Paradise.  What  was  Paradise? 
But  a  Garden  and  Orchard  of  trees  and  herbs,  full  of  all 
pleasure,  and  nothing  there  but  delights.  The  gods  of 
the  Earth  resembling  the  great  God  of  heaven  in  author- 
ity, Majesty  and  abundance  of  all  things,  wherein  is 
their  most  delight?  And  whither  do  they  withdraw 
themselves  from  the  troublesome  affairs  of  their  estate, 
being  tired  with  the  hearings  and  judgings  of  litigious 
Controversies?  choked  (as  it  were)  with  the  close  aire 
of  their  sumptuous  buildings,  their  stomachs  cloyed  with 
variety  of  banquets,  their  ears  filled  and  over-burthened 
with  tedious  discoursings.  Whither  ?  but  into  their 
Orchards  made  and  prepared  dressed  and  destinated  for 
that  purpose  to  renew  and  refresh  their  senses,  and  to 
call  home  their  over-wearied  spirits.  Nay,  it  is  (no  doubt) 
a  comfort  to  them,  to  set  open  their  casements  into  a 
most  delicate  Garden  and  Orchard,  whereby  they  may 
not  only  see  that,  wherein  they  are  so  much  delighted, 
but  also  to  give  fresh,  sweet  and  pleasant  air  to  their 
Galleries  and  Chambers. 

"  What  can  your  eye  desire  to  see,  your  ears  to 
hear,  your  mouth  to  taste,  or  your  nose  to  smell,  that 
is  not  to  be  had  in  an  Orchard?  with  abundance  and 
variety?  What  more  delightsome  than  an  infinite 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       161 

variety  of  sweet  smelling  flowers?  decking  with  sun- 
dry colours  the  green  mantle  of  the  Earth,  the  uni- 
versal Mother  of  us  all,  so  by  them  bespotted,  so 
dyed,  that  all  the  world  cannot  sample  them,  and 
wherein  it  is  more  fit  to  admire  the  Dyer  than  imitate 
his  workmanship.  Colouring  not  only  the  earth,  but 
decking  the  air,  and  sweetening  every  breath  and  spirit." 

In  concluding  his  description  Lawson  says :  "  One 
chief  grace  that  adorns  an  Orchard  I  cannot  let  slip. 
A  brood  of  Nightingales,  who  with  their  several  notes 
and  tunes,  with  a  strong  delightsome  voice  out  of  a 
weak  body  will  bear  you  company  night  and  day;" 
and  he  goes  on  to  name  some  of  the  other  birds 
whose  presence  might  be  desired.  Then  he  adds: 
"  What  shall  I  say  ?  1000  of  delights  are  in  an  Orchard 
and  sooner  shall  I  be  weary,  than  I  can  reckon  the  least 
part  of  that  pleasure,  which  one,  that  hath  and  loves 
an  Orchard  may  find  therein.  What  is  there,  of  all 
these  few  that  I  have  reckoned,  which  doth  not  please 
the  eye,  the  ear,  the  smell  and  taste?  and  by  these 
senses,  as  Organs,  Pipes  and  Windows,  these  delights 
are  carried  to  refresh  the  gentle,  generous  and  noble 
mind." 

The  ancient  custom  of  receiving  important  visitors 
in  the  garden  was  followed  by  Queen  Elizabeth.  At 
Hampton  Court  she  afforded  in  her  private  garden  a 
clandestine  interview  to  one  of  the  first  suitors  for 


162 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Nonesuch. 


Elizabeth's 
influence. 


her  hand,  the  Earl  of  Arran.  Here,  too,  occurred 
some  of  her  amusing  meetings  with  the  Queen  of 
Scots'  agent,  Lord  Melville. 

The  royal  gardens  at  Whitehall,  Windsor,  None- 
such, and  Hampton  Court,  according  to  the  account 
of  foreign  visitors,  were  well  kept  up  at  the  close  of 
the  century,  but  we  do  not  .Jiear  that  the  queen 
added  much  to  them,  except  the  terrace  at  Windsor 
Castle.  Of  Nonesuch  Hentzner  has  left  us  a  descrip- 
tion; in  part  he  says:  — 

"  The  palace  itself  is  so  encompassed  with  parks 
full  of  deer,  delicious  gardens,  groves  ornamented  with 
trelliswork,  cabinets  of  verdure,  and  walks  so  em- 
bowered by  trees,  that  it  seems  to  be  a  place  pitched 
upon  by  Pleasure  herself  to  dwell  in  along  with 
Health."  The  Duke  of  Wirtemberg,  who  travelled 
through  England  in  1592,  speaks  of  Hampton  Court 
as  comprising  many  beautiful  gardens  both  for  pleas- 
ure and  ornament;  some  planted  with  nothing  but 
rosemary,  others  laid  out  with  various  other  plants, 
which  are  "trained,  intertwined,  and  trimmed  in  so 
wonderful  a  manner  and  in  such  extraordinary  shapes 
that  the  like  could  not  easily  be  found." 

Directly,  Queen  Elizabeth  did  very  little  for  the 
gardens  of  her  day,  but  indirectly  they  owed  much  to 
her  influence.  She  encouraged  her  nobles  to  live  on 
their  country  estates  and  to  build  fine  houses  and 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       163 

gardens  where  they  might  have  the  honour  of  receiv- 
ing her  as  a  guest.  Their  efforts  were  stimulated  by 
her  progresses,  which  included  visits  to  almost  every 
part  of  her  kingdom.  Among  the  gardens  where  Eliza 
beth  stopped  were  those  at  Helmingham,  Kenilworth. 
and  Wilton,  where  there  was  a  celebrated  grotto. 
Lord  Burleigh  entertained  her  magnificently  at  Theo- 
balds in  1591.  Here  a  masque  written  for  the  occa- 
sion by  George  Peele  was  recited,  describing  the 
difficulties  of  constructing  the  garden  and  comparing 
its  beauties  to  the  queen's  virtues.  It  began  with  a 
speech  by  a  mole-catcher,  who  said,  "  I  cannot  dis- 
course of  knots  and  mazes ;  sure  I  am  that  the  ground 
was  so  knotty  that  the  gardener  was  amazed  at  it, 
and  as  easy  had  it  been  to  make  a  shaft  of  a  cammock 
as  a  garden  of  that  craft." 

Theobalds  was  one  of  the  finest  gardens  seen  by  Theobalds, 
the  German  traveller  Hentzner.  He  describes  it  as  it 
existed  at  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century.  "  The 
first  was  Theobalds,  belonging  to  Lord  Burleigh,  the 
treasurer:  in  the  gallery  was  painted  the  genealogy 
of  the  Kings  of  England ;  from  this  place  one  goes 
into  the  garden,  encompassed  with  a  ditch  full  of 
water,  large  enough  for  one  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
going  in  a  boat,  and  rowing  between  the  shrubs; 
here  are  great  variety  of  trees  and  plants;  labyrinths 
made  with  a  great  deal  of  labour,  a  jet  d'eau,  with 


164  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

its  bason  of  white  marble ;  and  columns  and  pyra- 
mids of  wood  and  other  material  up  and  down  the 
garden.  After  seeing  these,  we  were  led  by  the 
gardiner  into  the  summer-house,  in  the  lower  part 
of  which,  built  semi-circularly,  are  the  twelve  Roman 
emperors  in  white  marble,  and  a  table  of  touchstone: 
the  upper  part  of  it  is  set  around  with  cisterns  of  lead 
into  which  the  water  is  conveyed  through  pipes,  so 
that  fish  may  be  kept  there,  and  in  summer-time  they 
are  very  convenient  for  bathing:  in  another  room 
for  entertainment  very  near  this  and  joined  to  it  by  a 
little  bridge,  was  an  oval  table  of  red  marble." 

A  small  garden,  but  one  of  the  most  delightful, 
must  have  been  that  laid  out  by  Leicester  at  Kenil- 
worth.  His  secretary's  description  of  its  charms 
is  too  vivid  not  to  be  given  at  length,  and  will  serve 
as  a  last  word  as  to  the  appearance  of  an  actual 
Elizabethan  garden. 

"  Unto  this,  his  Honor's  exquisite  appointment 
of  a  beautiful  garden,  an  acre  or  more  in  quantity, 
that  lieth  on  the  north  there;  Whereon  hard  all  along 
by  the  Castle  wall  is  reared  a  pleasant  terrace  ten 
feet  high,  and  twelve  feet  broad,  even  under  foot  and 
fresh  of  fine  grass,  as  is  also  the  side  thereof:  In 
which,  by  sundry  equal  distances,  with  obelisks  and 
spheres,  and  white  bears,  all  of  stone  upon  their 
curious  bases,  by  goodly  shew  were  set ;  To  these,  two 


THE   ELIZABETHAN    FLOWER-GARDEN       165 

fine  arbours  redolent  by  sweet  trees  and  flowers,  at 
each  end  one,  the  garden  plot  under  that,  with  fair 
alleys  green  by  grass,  even  voided  from  the  borders 
on  both  sides,  and  some  (for  change)  with  sand,  not 
light,  or  too  soft,  or  soily  by  dust,  but  smooth  and 
firm,  pleasant  to  walk  on,  as  a  sea-shore  when  the 
water  is  availed.  Then,  much  gracified  by  due 
proportion  of  four  even  quarters ;  in  the  midst  of  each, 
upon  a  base  of  two  feet  square  and  high,  seemly 
bordered  of  itself,  a  square  pilaster  rising  pyramidi- 
cally  fifteen  feet  high.  Symmetrically  pierced  through 
from  a  foot  beneath  to  two  feet  of  the  top:  where- 
upon, for  a  Capitol,  an  orb  of  ten  inches  thick; 
everyone  of  these  with  its  base,  from  the  ground  to  the 
top,  of  one  whole  piece;  hewn  out  of  hard  porphyry, 
and  with  great  art  and  heed  (think  me)  thither 
conveyed  and  there  erected.  Where,  further  also,  by 
great  cast  and  cost,  the  sweetness  and  savour  on  all 
sides,  made  so  respirant  from  the  redolent  plants,  and 
fragrant  herbs  and  flowers,  in  form,  colour  and 
quantity  so  deliciously  variant ;  and  fruit  trees  bedecked 
with  apples,  pears,  and  ripe  cherries.  .  .  . 

"  A  garden  then  so  appointed,  as  wherein  aloft  upon 
sweet  shadowed  walk  of  terrace,  in  heat  of  summer 
to  feel  the  pleasant  frisking  wind  above,  or  delectable 
coolness  of  the  fountain-spring  beneath ;  to  taste  of 
delicious  strawberries,  cherries,  and  other  fruits,  even 


166  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

from  their  stalks;  to  smell  such  fragrancy  of  sweet 
odours,  breathing  from  the  plants,  herbs,  and  flowers; 
to  hear  such  natural  melodious  music  and  tunes  of 
birds ;  to  have  in  eye  for  mirth  sometime  these 
underspringing  streams;  then,  the  woods,  the  waters, 
(for  both  pool  and  chase  were  hard  at  hand  in  sight) 
the  deer,  the  people  (that  out  of  the  East  arbour  in 
the  base  Court,  also  at  hand  in  view),  the  fruit  trees,  the 
plants,  the  herbs,  the  flowers,  the  change  in  colours, 
the  birds  flittering,  the  fountain  streaming,  the  fish 
swimming,  all  in  such  delectable  variety,  order,  and 
dignity;  whereby  at  one  moment,  in  one  place,  at 
hand,  without  travel,  to  have  so  full  fruition  of  so 
many  God's  blessings,  by  entire  delight  unto  all 
senses  (if  all  can  take)  at  once;  for  etymon  of 
the  word  worthy  to  be  called  Paradise:  and  though 
not  so  goodly  as  Paradise,  for  want  of  the  fair  rivers, 
yet  better  a  great  deal  by  the  lack  of  so  unhappy  a 
tree.  Argument  most  certain  of  a  right  noble  mind, 
that  in  this  sort  could  have  thus  all  contrived." 

The  gardens  at  Levens  give  perhaps  the  best  idea 
of  Elizabethan  planting,  while  at  Bramshill  and  Monta- 
cute  are  good  examples  of  the  architectural  features  of 
this  period.  There  are  many  similar  places  in  all 
parts  of  England  and  Scotland. 


THE  OLD  ORANGEHY  : KEW  GARDENS 


CHAPTER   VI 

GARDENS   OF   THE   STUARTS 

N    the   days   of    the    Stuarts    the    Eliza-  seventeenth 

century  de- 

bethan  gardens  underwent  certain  modi-  veiopments. 

fications  according  to  the  predominance 

of    French,    Italian,   or    Dutch   fashions. 

In  architecture  classic  traditions  pre- 
vailed, but  in  garden  design  suggestions  were  less 
welcomed  from  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  than 
from  contemporary  horticulturists.  Evelyn,  a  great 
authority  on  gardens  at  the  height  of  this  period,  con- 
sidered the  writings  of  Tusser,  Markham,  Hartlib,  and 
Walter  Blith,  with  the  "  Philosophical  Transactions," 
"  The  Maison  Rustique,"  and  other  books  of  a  similar 
description,  as  filled  with  much  more  valuable  informa- 
tion than  could  be  found  in  Cato,  Varro,  Columella, 
Palladio,  or  the  Greek  Geoponics.  He  also  thought 
that  in  floriculture,  the  gardeners  of  his  day  were  far 
ahead  of  the  ancients,  and  that  the  number  of  plants 
then  known  was  infinitely  greater  than  ever  in  the  past. 

167 


168  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Changes  at  this  period  were  introduced  gradually. 
Garden  architecture  altered,  like  the  rest  of  domestic 
architecture,  from  the  Elizabethan  to  the  later  styles 
without  any  abrupt  transition.  The  tendency  was  to 
give  additional  breadth  to  the  gravel  walks  and  minor 
importance  to  the  flower-beds,  producing  a  feeling  of 
space  which  may  be  attributed*  to  French  influence. 
Beautiful  wrought-iron  gates  and  palisades  were  an 
importation  from  France  or  Holland.  Leaden  statues 

and  vases,  first  designed  in 
France,  were  often  executed 
by  Dutch  workmen  in  Eng- 


Innovations.      ]imtmmam^MmamaaBsmmssmHm 

probably     a     Dutch     fashion 
adapted  to  the  miniature  gar- 

le.T^YH.SHLOWHAU.mHA^CEl      ^      .„      j^,,^       but     seem 


to  have  become  an  important  feature  in  every  English 
garden  toward  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
These  innovations  may  be  traced  as  far  back  as  the 
reign  of  James  I,  they  continued  rather  in  abeyance 
through  the  troubled  times  of  Charles  I,  and  flourished 
most  extensively  after  the  Restoration.  During  the 
reigns  of  Charles  II  and  of  William  and  Mary,  the 
seventeenth-century  garden  was  at  its  prime. 
Botanical  In  the  reign  of  James  I  the  most  striking  novelty 

was  the  cultivation  of  numerous  collections  of  exotics. 
Various  private  botanical  gardens  were  founded,  and  the 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


169 


study  of  botany,  with  a  fondness  for  the  classification 
of  new  specimens,  became  common.  Herbals  and 
horticultural  trea- 
tises were  examined 
eagerly  and  herbal- 
ists attained  great 
fame.  Parkinson, 
an  apothecary  to 
the  king,  wrote  the 
"  Theatrum  Botani- 
cum,"  one  of  the 
best-known  works 
on  botany.  The  Tradescants,  father  and  son,  were  dis- 
tinguished as  importers  of  exotics  from  Holland  and 
America.  Their  epitaph  is  characteristic :  — 

"  Know,  stranger,  ere  thou  pass,  beneath  this  stone 
Lye  John  Tradescant,  grandsire,  father,  son. 
The  last  died  in  his  spring  ;  —  the  other  two 
Liv'd  till  they  had  travell'd  Art  and  Nature  through ; 
As  by  their  choice  collections  may  appear 
Of  what  is  rare,  in  land,  in  sea,  in  air. 
Whilst  they  (as  Homer's  Illiad  in  a  nut) 
A  world  of  wonders  in  one  closet  shut. 
These  famous  Antiquarians  that  had  been 
Both  gardeners  to  the  Rose  and  Lily  Queen 
Transplanted  now  themselves,  sleep  here,  and  when 
Angels  shall  with  their  trumpets  waken  men 
And  fire  shall  purge  the  world,  these  hence  shall  rise, 
And  change  this  garden  for  a  Paradise." 


The  Trades 
cants. 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  Oxford 

botanical 

garden. 


Garden  lit- 
erature. 


The  first  public  botanical  garden  in  England,  how- 
ever, was  not  laid  out  until  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  It 
was  founded  and  endowed  by  Henry,  Earl  of  Danby, 
in  1632,  at  the  University  of  Oxford.  Five  acres  of 
land  were  contained  within  its  enclosure.  Some  of 
the  beds  were  simple  oblongs  for  long  rows  of  plants, 
while  others  formed  elaborate  knots  accented  by  cone- 
shaped  trees.  By  1648  there  already  flourished  sixteen 
hundred  varieties  of  plants,  including  twenty  sorts  of 
roses,  four  of  foxglove,  ten  of  lychnis,  nine  of  clematis, 
and  rare  exotics  such  as  nicotiana  or  English  tobacco, 
and  yucca  or  Indian  bread.  Entrance  gateways  were 
designed  by  Inigo  Jones,  and  among  other  architectural 
features  were  several  greenhouses,  an  orangery,  and 
a  house  for  the  gardener.  The  illustration  shows  the 
original  orangery,  gateways,  and  plan.  At  the  close 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  Celia  Fiennes  wrote  that 
these  gardens  "  afforded  great  diversion  and  pleas- 
ure ;  the  variety  of  flowers  and  plants  would  have 
entertained  one  a  week." 

The  garden  literature  of  the  seventeenth  century,  apart 
from  herbals,  illustrates  a  variety  of  phases. 
The  earlier  books  by  such  English  writers 
as  Markham  and  Lawson  practically  re- 
ferred to  Elizabethan  gardens.  Then,  as 
the  influence  of  Le  Notre  became  para- 
mount, a  French  school  of  gardeners  was  founded  in 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS  171 

England.  Of  these  and  their  works  more  will  be  said 
later.  Dutch  authorities  were  also  consulted,  as 
shown  by  Hartlib's  "  Discourse  of  Husbandrie  used  in 
Brabant  and  Flanders."  But  Parkinson,  Evelyn,  Rea, 
and  Worlidge,  the  best  English  writers  of  this  period, 
although  they  took  note  of  foreign  fashions,  did  their 
utmost  to  uphold  English  traditions. 

At  Hatfield  there  are  a  series  of  gardens  especially  Hatfieid. 
interesting  as  showing  the  transition  from  the  simple 
Elizabethan  flower-garden  to  the  more  formal  pleasure 
grounds  of  the  Stuarts.  On  three  sides  of  the  present 
house,  built  for  the  first  Lord  Salisbury  by  John 
Thorpe  of  Padua,  are  gardens  belonging,  roughly 
speaking,  to  three  different  periods  —  those  of  Eliza- 
beth, of  James  I,  and  of  Charles  II.  Each  is  a  very 
good  example  of  its  kind.  Perhaps  the  planting  has 
been  more  or  less  altered,  but  the  design  remains 
practically  as  it  was  in  the  beginning. 

The  earliest  portions  near  the  site  of  an  ancient  palace 
(of  which  the  remains  have  been  turned  into  a  stable)  lie 
west  of  the  present  mansion.  But  of  the  three  divi- 
sions located  there,  only  one  was  surely  laid  out  in  the 
time  of  Elizabeth.  This  is  the  enclosure  surrounded 
by  pleached  limes,  known  as  the  Privy  Garden.  Here  The  privy 
Queen  Elizabeth  herself  must  have  often  walked,  shaded 
beneath  the  broad  brim  of  a  garden  hat  still  preserved 
at  Hatfield.  This  precious  relic  was  a  gift  from  the 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


queen  to  her  Lord  Treasurer  Burleigh,  whose  youngest 
son,  the  first  Earl  of  Salisbury,  afterward  gave  Theo- 
balds to  James  I  in  exchange  for  Hatfield. 

After  the  first  Lord  Salisbury  came  into  possession 
of  the  estate  and  had  built  the  present  magnificent 

house  on  an  axis  with 
the  old  gardens,  which 
he  retained  on  one  side, 
he  laid  out  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  the 
ground.  The  gardens 
west  and  south  of  the 
house  therefore  belong 
to  the  time  of  James  I 
and  of  his  son  Charles  I, 
when  grass  work  was  beginning  to  come  into  fashion, 
and  the  planting  of  flower-beds  grew  more  formal. 
The  garden-houses  with  their  tiled  roofs  and  terra- 
cotta balustrading  are  very  good  examples  of  Jacobean 
architecture  on  a  small  scale. 

Below  the  rather  stiff  parterre,  on  the  east  side  of 
the  house,  are  a  series  of  terraces.  The  first,  cov- 
ered with  turf,  is  now  used  as  a  croquet-ground  and 
was  formerly  a  bowling-green.  Next  comes  a  maze 
outlined  with  yew.  The  lowest  terrace  contains  a 
charming  oblong  garden  enclosing  a  circle  of  beds 
planted  entirely  with  sweet-scented  spikes  of  lavender. 


PAVILION  AT  HATFILUD 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


t«iry  sur- 


Celia  Fiennes  describes  a  garden  similarly  filled  with 
nothing  but  lavender.  Near  the  pond  is  an  Eliza- 
bethan pavilion. 

For  descriptions  of  gardens  in  the  time  of  Charles  I 

« 

the  parliamentary  surveys  of  his   confiscated   property  Veys. 
are  most  complete.     Of  the  royal  estates  at  Wimbledon 
and    Theobalds,  among  others,  we  can    thus  form    an 
exceptionally    good    idea.      Part 
and     parcel,    the    beauties    they 
contain  as  well   as   their  money 
value  were  carefully  noted  down 
in  the  inventories   made  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Commonwealth. 

At  Wimbledon,  the  favourite 
country-seat  of  Henrietta  Maria, 
the  three  principal  enclosures 
contained  the  vineyard,  the 
orange  garden,  and  the  great 
garden,  all  intimately  connected 
with  the  dwelling-house,  and  cov- 
ering between  fifteen  and  twenty  acres.  The  kitchen,  wimbiedon. 
pheasant,  and  "  hartichoke  "  gardens,  as  rather  for  use 
than  for  ornament,  were  kept  more  in  the  background. 
High  brick  walls  shut  out  the  park  and  formed  the 
main  boundaries,  while  wooden  palings  served  for  the 
partitions  of  minor  importance.  The  plan  was  in- 
tended to  seclude  the  gardens  from  the  rest  of  the 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  sym- 
metrical ar- 
rangement. 


A  garden- 
house. 


grounds,  while  permitting  them  to  appear  to  the  great- 
est advantage  from  the  house.  To  assist  in  this 
arrangement  both  the  house  and  main  gardens  were 
placed  on  the  same  axis. 

Each  part  of  the  garden  was  laid  out  symmetrically 
with  knots  of  choice  flowers,  bordered  with  box,  grass- 
plots,  fountains,  and  statues.  Several  wooden  pavilions 

varying  in  size  were  placed 
at  the  ends  of  the  paths. 
Usually  their  roofs  were 
covered  with  blue  slate,  and 
their  floors  paved  with 
stone,  brick,  or  tiles. 

Next  the  mansion  came 
a  broad  gravel  walk,  170 
yards  long  and  25  feet  wide, 
running  from  east  to  west. 
At  one  end  of  this  walk 
stood  a  "  Garden- House, 
part  of  boards  part  of  rails,  covered  with  blue  slate,  and 
ridged  and  guttered  with  lead,  paved  with  square  stone, 
having  one  door  going  into  the  end  alley,  leading  into 
the  said  upper  level,  and  one  other  door  opening  into 
the  Hartichoke  Garden."  Two  similar  "garden,  sum- 
mer, or  shadow  houses  "  were  placed,  one  on  the  north 
side  of  the  gravel  alley,  the  other  in  the  middle  of  the 
east  wall. 


SIDE  DOOR  TO  A  GARDEN 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS  175 

A  quaint  feature  in  a  little  grass  court  near  the  house 
was  an  elaborate  bird-cage.  It  was  described  as  having 
"three  open  turrets  very  well  wrought  for  the  sitting  A  bird-cage, 
and  perching  of  birds ;  and  also  having  standing  in  it 
one  very  fair  and  handsome  fountain,  with  three  cisterns 
of  lead  belonging  to  it,  and  many  several  small  pipes 
of  lead,  gilded,  which,  when  they  flow  and  fall  into  the 
cisterns,  make  a  pleasant  noise.  The  turrets,  fountain, 
and  little  court  are  all  covered  with  strong  iron  wire 
and  lie  directly  under  the  windows  of  the  two  rooms  of 
the  said  Manor  House  called  the  Balcony  Room,  and 
the  Lord's  Chamber;  from  which  Balcony  Room  one 
pavement  of  black  and  white  marble  containing  104 
foot,  railed  with  rails  of  wood  on  each  side  thereof, 
extends  itself  into  the  said  alley  over  the  middle  of 
the  said  bird-cage.  This  bird-cage  is  a  great  orna- 
ment both  to  the  House  and  Garden."  Such  aviaries 
were  very  popular  in  the  seventeenth  century.  They 
were  sometimes  intended  to  contain  people  as  well  as 
birds.  It  will  be  remembered  how  during  the  reign 
of  Charles  II,  Lady  Castlemain  used  to  receive  her 
admirers  in  an  aviary,  and  was  playfully  entitled  the 
"  bird  of  passage."  The  "  Bird-cage  "  at  Melbourne  was 
practically  an  arbour  intended  entirely  for  people. 

An  account  of  the  maze  and  the  wilderness  is  espe-  me  maze 
cially  interesting.     "  The  Maze  consists  of  young  trees, 
wood,  and  sprays  of  good » growth  and  height,  cut  into 


1 76  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

several  meanders,  circles,  semi-circles,  windings,  and 
intricate  turnings,  the  walks  or  intervals  whereof  are 
all  grass-plots.  This  Maze,  as  it  is  now  ordered,  adds 
very  much  to  the  worth  of  the  Upper  Level.  The 
Wilderness  (a  work  of  vast  expence  to  the  maker 
thereof)  consists  of  many  young  trees,  woods,  and 
sprays  of  good  growth  and  height,  cut  and  formed  into 
several  ovals,  squares,  and  angles,  very  well  ordered ; 
in  most  of  the  angular  points  whereof,  as  also  in  the 
centre  of  every  oval,  stands  one  Lime  tree  or  Elm. 
All  the  alleys  of  this  Wilderness,  being  in  number 
eighteen,  are  of  a  gravelled  earth  very  well  ordered 
and  maintained ;  the  whole  work  being  compiled  with 
such  order  and  decency,  as  that  it  is  not  one  of  the 
least  of  the  ornaments  of  the  said  Manor  or  Mansion 
House." 
The  ban-  A  simple  garden-house  was  placed  at  the  west  end 

queting 

house.  of  the  turfed  terrace.  Opposite  stood  a  much  more 
elaborate  construction.  "  One  fair  banqueting  house, 
most  of  wood ;  the  model  thereof  containing  a  fair 
round  in  the  middle  of  four  angles,  covered  with  blue 
slate,  and  ridged  and  guttered  with  lead,  wainscoted 
round  from  the  bottom  to  the  roof,  varnished  with 
green  within  and  without,  benched  in  the  angles,  hav- 
ing sixteen  windows  or  covers  of  the  same  wainscot 
to  open  or  shut  at  pleasure,  having  also  sixteen  half 
rounds  of  glass  to  enlighten  the  room  when  those 


GARDENS   OF   THE   STUARTS  177 

covers  are  shut  up ;  the  floor  paved  with  painted  tile 
in  the  angles  and  with  squared  stone  in  the  middle;  . 
in  one  of  which  angles  stands  a  table  of  artificial  stone 
very  well  polished ;  and  in  every  of  the  said  angles, 
besides  the  said  benches,  there  stands  one  wainscot 
chair.  There  are  to  the  said  banqueting  house  two 
double  leaved  doors,  the  one  pair  of  which  doors 
opens  in  the  very  middle  of  the  said  tarras,  the  outside 
thereof  being  gilt,  with  several  coats  of  arms ;  the  other 
of  the  said  leaved  doors  opens  into  a  fair  walk  within 
the  Park,  planted  with  Elms  and  Lime  trees,  extend- 
ing itself  from  the  said  banqueting  house  in  a  direct 
line  eastward,  to  the  very  Park  pale.  The  round  of 
the  said  banqueting  house  is  handsomely  arched; 
within  which  thirteen  heads  or  statues,  gilded,  stand 
in  circular  form,  adding  very  much  to  the  beauty  of 
the  whole  room." 

A  quaint  feature  was  the  private  walk,  where,  un- 
observed, many  important  interviews  took  place.  It 
was  enclosed  by  a  high  thorn  hedge. 

At  Theobalds,  the  general  idea  of  the  gardens  was  Theobalds, 
much  the  same  as  at  Wimbledon.  But  there  are 
one  or  two  additional  and  characteristic  features. 
Among  them  a  knot  "compassed  aboute  with  a 
Quadrangle  or  square  squadron  Quicksett  hedge  of 
white  thorn  and  privett  of  nine  foot  in  height,  cutt 
into  a  compleate  fashion  with  fower  round  arbors  with 


1 78  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

seats  in  them  in  each  corner,  with  two  Doore  wayes 
betweene  each  arbour,  in  all  the  fower  sides  and  be- 
tweene  the  two  doore  wayes  in  each  side  runs  out  a 
Roman  T:  made  of  the  same  sort  of  hedginge  and 
of  the  same  height."  Two  figures  of  wainscot  well 
carved  were  in  the  middle  of  two  of  the  knots,  and 
there  were  covered  alleys  where  -'one  might  walk  two 
myle  in  the  walkes  before  he  came  to  their  ends." 
Richmond  The  gardens  at  Richmond  Court  are  less  fully 

Court. 

described  and  contained  nothing  especially  original. 
Yew  trees  marked  the  centres  of  the  box-bordered 
flower-beds,  the  brick  walls  twelve  feet  high  were 
covered  with  fruit  trees,  and  the  water  supply  was 
contained  in  a  lead  cistern.  The  great  orchard  was 
symmetrically  laid  out  with  223  trees.  Here  was  a 
handsome  bird-cage  for  turtle  doves. 

Thepreva-         After   the    Restoration    the   seventeenth-century  gar- 
horticoiture.  dens  became  more  numerous.     Worlidge,  writing  about 
the  year  1675,  says:  — 

"  Neither  is  there  a  noble  or  pleasant  seat  in  Eng- 
land but  hath  its  gardens  for  pleasure  and  delight, 
scarce  an  ingenious  citizen  that  by  his  confinement 
to  a  shop  being  denied  the  privilege  of  a  real  garden 
but  hath  his  boxes,  pots,  and  other  receptacles  for 
flowers,  plants,  etc. 

"So  that  we  may  without  vanity  conclude  that  a 
garden  of  pleasant  avenues,  walks  and  fruits,  flowers 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


179 


and  other  branches  springing  from  it  well  composed, 
is  the  only  permanent  inanimate  object  of  delight  the 
world  affords. 

"  Such  is  its  pre-excellency  that  scarce  a  cottage  of 
the  southern  parts  of  England  but  hath  its  propor- 
tionate garden." 

In  many  respects  the  garden  remained  the  same 
as  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  It  formed  an  ad- 
junct to  the  dwelling-house,  which  was  entered  through 
a  forecourt  and 
possibly  a  house 
court;  it  was  to 
be  square  in  form, 
enclosed  by  walls, 
a  hedge,  or  a 
fence,  and  often 
adjoined  by  a  ter- 
race. But  the  fan- 
tastic spirit  of  the 
early  Renaissance  had  been  broken  by  Puritanical 
common-sense.  Quaint  figures  in  clipped  box,  elaborate 
wooden  galleries,  and  luxurious  masses  of  flowers  began 
to  seem  superfluous.  Despite  protests,  carefully  raked 
gravel  paths,  smooth  squares  of  grass,  and  a  few 
specimens  of  rare  exotics  were  now  the  centres  of 
admiration. 

In  Pepys'  "  Diary  "  he  records    a   conversation   with 


THE    TERRACE 


i8o  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Pepyson       the    architect    Hugh    May   about    the  gardens    of    this 

the  new 

fashion.        period,  laid  out  in  the  height  of  the  style,  which  evi- 
dently met  with  their  approval. 

"  22nd  Lord's  Day.  Walked  to  Whitehall,  where 
saw  nobody  almost,  but  walked  up  and  down  with 
Hugh  May,  who  is  a  very  ingenious  man.  Among 
other  things,  discoursing  of  our  present  fashion  of 
gardens  to  make  them  plain  that  we  have  the  best 
walks  of  gravell  in  the  world,  France  having  none 
nor  Italy;  and  our  green  of  our  bowling  allies  is 
better  than  any  they  have.  So  our  business  here 
being  ayre,  this  is  the  best  way  only  with  a  little 
mixture  of  statues  or  pots,  which  may  be  handsome, 
and  so  filled  with  another  pot  of  such  or  such  a 
flower  or  greene,  as  the  season  of  the  year  will  bear. 
And  then  for  the  flowers,  they  are  best  seen  in  a 
little  plat  by  themselves;  beside  their  borders  spoil 
the  walks  of  another  garden ;  and  then  for  fruit,  the 
best  way  is  to  have  walls  built  circularly  one  within 
another,  to  the  south,  on  purpose  for  fruit,  and  leave 
the  walking  Garden  only  for  that  use." 

Hea's  Flowers    began    to   be   considered    of    less   and   less 

importance,  and  were  planted  in  pots  rather  than 
directly  in  the  soil.  This  gave  a  somewhat  cold  and 
forbidding  aspect  to  the  garden,  which  Rea  protests 
was  rarely  "found  well  furnished  out  of  the  hands 
of  an  affectionate  florist,"  and  he  goes  on  to  explain : 


GARDENS   OF   THE   STUARTS  181 

"  Love  was  the  Inventor  and  is  still  the  Maintainer 
of  every  noble  science.  It  is  chiefly  that  which  has 
made  my  flowers  and  trees  to  flourish,  though  planted 
in  a  barren  desert,  and  hath  brought  me  to  the 
knowledge  I  now  have  in 
plants  and  planting. 

"  I  have  seen  many  gar- 
dens of  the  new  model  in 
the  hands  of  unskilful  per- 
sons with  good  walls,  walks 
and  grass  plots;  but  in  the 
most  essential  adornments 
so  deficient,  that  a  green 
meadow  is  a  more  delightful 
object.  And  as  noble  foun- 
tains, grottoes,  statues,  etc.,  are  excellent  ornaments  and 
marks  of  magnificence ;  so  all  such  dead  works  in  gar- 
dens ill  done  are  little  better  than  blocks  in  the  way  to 
interrupt  the  sight. 

"A  choice  collection  of  living  beauties,  rare  plants, 
flowers  and  fruits,  are  indeed  the  wealth  and  glory  and 
delight  of  a  garden. 

"  The  new  mode  of  gravel  walks  and  grass  plots  is  fit  The  banish- 

inent  of 

only  for  such  houses  or  palaces  as  are  situated  in  cities  flowers, 
and  great  towns,  although  they  are  now  become  prece- 
dents for  many  stately  Country  residencies,  where  they 
have  banished  out  of  their  gardens  flowers,  the  miracles 


182 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  relative 
situation  of 
house  and 
garden. 


of  nature,  and  the  best  ornaments  that  ever  were  discov- 
ered to  make  a  seat  pleasant.  But  it  is  hoped  that  this 
new,  useless,  and  unpleasant  mode  will,  like  many  other 
varieties,  still  go  out  of  fashion."  In  Plot's  "  Stafford- 
shire" there  is  a  picture  of  the  house  and  grounds  at 
Ingestre.  The  gardens  consist  of  squares  and  ovals 
of  grass,  ornamented  with  statues, 
but  do  not  appear  to  contain  a  single 
flower. 

Of  the  many  books  describing  how 
gardens  were  to  be  laid  out  at  this 
period,  the  best  by  English  writers 
were  "  Flora,  Ceres,  and  Pomona  "  by 
John  Rea  and  the  "Systema  Horti- 
cultures, or  Art  of  Gardening,"  by 
John  Worlidge.  The  first  of  these 
publications  appeared  in  1676,  the 
second  in  1677,  both  in  London. 
The  situation  of  the  garden  in  relation  to  the  house 
is  taken  for  granted  by  Worlidge.  One  reason  for  his 
premise  was  the  advantage  of  having  the  principal  en- 
trance into  the  garden  from  the  best  room  in  the 
house  to  make  the  walks  convenient  for  exercise  after 
meals. 

"  It  may  seem  needless  to  say  anything  of  the  situa- 
tion of  a  Garden,  it  being  so  absolute  a  concomitant  to 
your  habitation  that  a  garden  remote  or  by  itself,  is 


GARDENS   OF  THE     STUARTS  183 

neither  pleasant  or  useful.  Therefore  where  ever  your 
house  is,  near  it  must  be  your  garden." 

If,  however,  the  house  was  not  already  built,  in  choos-  The  selec- 
tion of  a 
ing  its  location,  a  site  with  good  soil  for  a  garden  was  site. 

selected,  with  a  southern  or  southeastern  exposure,  a 
water  supply,  and  a  pleasant  view.  At  some  distance, 
a  belt  of  tall  trees  was  planted  to  break  the  wind  in  win- 
ter and  spring,  and  furnish  shade  in  the  warm  weather. 

Both  Rea  and  Worlidge  considered  the  "  most  grace- 
ful grounds  an  entire  level."  If  the  site  were  a  hillside, 
then  the  gardens  were  naturally  laid  out  in  terraces,  if 
possible  below  the  house.  "  For  it  is  much  more  pleas- 
ant to  view  a  garden  under  the  eye  than  above  it,  and 
to  descend  into  a  garden  and  ascend  into  a  house  than 
on  the  contrary." 

In  speaking  of  the  form,  Worlidge  says:  "The  round  The  round 

form. 

is  very  pleasant  and  some  curious  gardens  there  are  of 
that  form  in  foreign  parts.  The  walls  about  such  a  gar- 
den are  very  good  for  fruit,  the  wind  not  being  as  severe 
against  a  round  as  against  a  straight  wall.  The  walk  also 
that  circumdates  the  garden  is  not  unpleasant,  for  there 
you  may  walk  as  long  as  you  please  in  it,  always  for- 
wards without  any  short  turning;  some  straight  walks 
there  may  be  that  tend  from  the  circumference  to  the 
centre.  The  several  quadrants  may  be  subdivided  and 
planted  with  fruits,  the  borders  of  the  round  walks 
and  the  cross  walks  being  sufficient  for  flowers ,  and 


184  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

plants  of  beauty  and  delight.  At  the  centre  of  this  Gar- 
den may  be  planted  a  fountain,  or  in  defect  of  water  a 
banqueting  house  or  house  of  pleasure. 

"  A  rude  draught  of  such  a  form  is  here  presented  to 
your  view,  the  inner  parts  of  the  grass  plots  planted 
with  fine  trees,  and  the  quadrants  within  the  lesser  circle 
planted  with  a  variety  of  fruit  trees,  and  the  principal 
walks,  round  and  straight,  bordered  with  flowers  and 
delightful  shrubs  and  plants. 

"  Encompassed  with  a  palisade  in  the  centre  of  your 
garden  is  a  fountain  of  spring  water  always  flowing, 
serving  not  only  to  refresh  the  spirits  of  such  that  de- 
light in  the  sight  of  it,  but  is  necessary  in  dry  and  hot 
seasons  to  preserve  your  choicest  plants  from  injury." 

A  rectangular  garden,  however,  was  considered  de- 
cidedly preferable.  "  The  square  is  the  most  perfect 
and  pleasant  form  that  you  can  lay  your  garden  into 
where  your  ground  will  afford  it ;  every  walk  that  is  in  it 
being  straight  and  every  plant  and  tree  standing  in  a 
direct  line,  represents  it  to  your  eye  very  pleasing.  The 
delight  you  take  in  walking  in  it  being  much  the  more 
as  you  are  less  careful :  for  when  you  walk  in  a  round 
circle  you  are  more  subject  to  trespass  on  the  borders 
without  continual  thought  and  observation  of  the 
ground. 

"You  may  divide  your  square  into  three  parts  by 
palisades,  the  long  way  beginning  at  your  house,  the 


CIRCULAR  GARDEN,  FROM  THE  "SYSTEMA  HORTICULTURAL 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


185 


middle  part  containing  a  large  gravel  walk  adorned  on 
each  side  with  a  border  of  your  most  select  plants, 
shrubs,  and  flowers 
between  those  bor- 
ders and  the  pali- 
sades, green  walks 
with  borders  next  the 
palisades,  on  which 
you  may  plant  per- 
ennial greens  and 
your  more  ordinary 
plants  and  flowers. 

"  The  other  two  par- 
titions of  your  square 
you  may  convert  the 
one  of  them  into  an 
orchard  the  other  in- 
to a  kitchen  garden, 
which  will  be  no 
small  ornament  to  your  middle  garden  of  pleasure. 

"  But  if  you  are  willing  to  celebrate  so  fair  a  spot  of 
ground  as  the  whole  square  to  the  delights  of  flora, 
make  of  them  grass-plots  leaving  only  borders  on  their 
confines  for  your  variety  of  plants. 


"  A  draught  of  the  square  garden  I  have  given  here,  illustration 
which  may  be    varied   as   the   designer  pleaseth,   each 


1 86 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  enclos- 
ure. 


principal  walk  is  bordered  with  flowers,  each  principal 
corner  with  flower  pots  and  the  middle  of  the  quarter- 
square  with  statues.  The  farther  end  fenced  with  a 
palisade  that  the  prospect  of  the  adjacent  orchard  may 
not  be  lost  where  now  the  statues  stand,  if  water  be  to 
be  obtained,  fountains  would  be  placed  with  more 
delight." 

After  the  shape  of  the  garden  had  been  determined, 
the  method  of  enclosure  was  taken  into  consideration : 

"When  you  have  discovered 
the  best  Land  and  pleased 
yourself  with  the  compleatest 
Form  you  can  imagine  for 
your  garden ;  yet  without  a 
good  Fence  to  preserve  it 
from  severall  evils  that  usually 
annoy  it  your  labour  is  but 
lost."  This  protection  might 
be  afforded  by  hedges,  wooden 

palings,  wooden  or  iron  palisades,  or  walls  of  earth, 
brick,  or  stone. 

Brick  waiis.  Brick  walls  were  considered  best.  Usually  they  were 
strengthened  at  regular  intervals  by  pilasters,  and  coped 
with  bricks  set  on  edge  and  sometimes  slightly  pro- 
jecting. The  dark  purplish  red  of  the  seventeenth- 
century  brick  was  often  a  beautiful  colour,  and  a  most 
becoming  background  to  the  peach  and  plum  trees 


TERRACE,  ANXESLEY. 


GATEWAY,  HAMPTON  COURT. 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


187 


trained  in  fan  shapes  to  cover  its  surface.  Niches  con- 
taining seats  were  often 
built  at  the  end  of  paths 
and  were  among  the  pleas- 
antest  places  to  sit  and 
view  the  garden.  The 
foundation  of  the  wall  ac- 
cording to  Rea  might  be 
of  stone  as  high  as  a  foot 
above  the  level  of  the 
ground,  but  the  upper  part 
should  be  always  of  brick. 
The  height  of  an  outside  wall  was  about  nine  feet. 
Lesser  walls,  dividing,  for  example,  the  fruit  from  the 

flower  garden,  rose  only  to 
five  or  six  feet.  White 
marble  trimmings  made  an 
attractive  contrast  to  the 
red  brick.  At  Hampton 
Court  there  are  several  fine 
brick  walls  ornamented 
with  niches  and  alcoves 
and  pilasters.  A  portion  is 
shown  in  the  above  illustra- 
tion. Another  very  beauti- 
ful and  unusual  brick  wall  separates  the  terrace  from 
the  garden  at  Annesley;  it  can  hardly  be  seen  in  the 


i88 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


illustration  that  the  top  curves  downward  between  the 
pilasters.  At  Ham  House  there  are  some  simple  but 
good  brick  garden  walls.  One  defining  the  forecourt 
is  more  elaborate,  and  contains  twelve  lead  busts  of  the 

Roman     emperors,    placed 
in  oval  niches. 

Palisades  of  wood,  or 
more  often  iron,  were  a 
characteristic  innovation. 
They  were  used  when  a 
barrier  which  would  not 
shut  out  the  view  was  re- 
quired, and  were  fastened 
to  the  tops  of  walls  built 
breast  high.  Numerous 
examples  are  to  be  seen  of  enclosed  forecourts,  as  at 
Ham  House  and  Levens. 

Gateways  with  beautiful  wrought-iron  gates  were  also 
introduced  at  this  period.  At  Hampton  Court,  Pack- 
wood,  Kew,  and  Drayton  are  some  of  those  shown  in 
the  illustrations.  No  feature 
gives  more  style  to  a  garden. 

Walks,  arbours,  and   places 
of  repose  in  a  garden  did  not 


AN   ALCOVE   AT   ARLEY 


A   DUTCH  ARBOUR 


cease  to  be  considered  of  importance. 

"  It  is  not  the  least  part  of  the  pleasures  of  a  garden 
to  walk  and  refresh  yourself  either  with  your  friends 


GARDENS   OF   THE   STUARTS 


189 


or  acquaintances  or  else  alone,  retired  from  the  cares  of 
the  world,  or  apart  from  company  that  sometimes  may 
prove  burdensome  to  you,  and  when  your  own  lassitude 
or  the  heat,  rain,  or  scorching  beams 
of  the  sun  render  the  open  walks 
unpleasant,  to  repose  yourself  under 
some  pleasant  tree  or  some  covert 
or  shade  until  you  are  willing  to 
try  the  air  again." 

A  new  method  of  making  walks 
in  three  divisions  was  recommended 
by  Worlidge.  "  The  best  for  winter  and  wet  seasons 
are  those  paved  with  stone,  about  the  breadth  of  five 
feet,  in  the  midst  of  a  gravel  walk  of  about  five  or 
six  foot,  gravel  on  each  side  of  the  stone  or  of  grass, 
which  you  please.  For  on  these  flat  stones  may  you 
walk  securely  under  foot  in  all  weathers."  Walks  of 

fine-screened  gravel  were 
considered  as  next  best  and 
very  ornamental ;  they  might 
be  bordered  with  grass  "  for 
your  use  in  hot  weather." 
In  summer  the  pleasantest 
walks  underfoot  and  over- 
head were  those  of  grass  arched  over  with  a  cradle  alley 
of  pleached  trees. 

As   there  were   few  verandas  of   any  description,   in 


Walks. 


A  GARDEN  SEAT :  CANOMS  ASHSY 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Seats. 


Garden- 
houses. 


connection  with  English  houses,  it  was  particularly 
important  to  have  arbours  and  other  shady  nooks  in 
the  garden.  High-backed  wooden  seats  afforded  pro- 
tection from  the  wind,  like 
the  interesting  example  ex- 
isting at  Canons  Ashby, 
where  there  is  a  pretty, 
though  small  garden,  which 
was  laid  out  in  1 700.  Such 
benches  were  painted  white 
or  green.  Sometimes  the 
seat  was  round  and  placed 
in  a  corner  of  the  wall; 
then  it  might  be  covered 
with  a  circular  roof  half  supported  on  the  top  of  the 
wall,  half  on  wooden  posts  or  stone  columns.  "  Having 
several  of  these  seats  facing  to  each  coast,"  Worlidge 
says,  "be  the  wind  or  sun  either 
way,  you  have  a  place  to  defend 
yourself  from  it." 

Even  such  celebrated  archi- 
tects as  Inigo  Jones  and  Sir 
Christopher  Wren  gave  attention 
to  the  design  of  summer-houses. 
Their  appearance  always  had  a 
touch  of  quaintness.  Either  the  eaves  were  made 
very  broad,  as  in  the  illustration  of  the  fishing-lodge, 


AN  OCTAGONAL  GARDEN-HOUSE 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


191 


or  the  pitch  of  the  roof  was  remarkably  steep,  or 
the  ground-plan  was  octagonal.  In  the  Parliamentary 
Surveys  accounts  of  a  num- 
ber of  these  pavilions  are 
described,  with  all  their 
details. 

In  the  middle  of  one  side 
of  the  garden  Rea  advises 
locating  a  "  handsome  oc- 
tagonal summer-house  roofed 
every  way  and  finely  painted 
with  landskips,  furnished 
with  seats  about  and  a  table 
in  the  middle,  serving  both  for  delight  and  use, 
a  place  wherein  to  store  bulbs,  etc."  The  charming 
little  summer-house  at  Iford  Manor  near  Bradford- 
on-Avon  seems  to  answer  almost 
exactly  to  this  description,  and 
a  similar  one  at  Bramshill  is 
shown  in  the  illustration  on  the 
opposite  page. 

There  are  attractive  pavilions 
at  Nun  Moncton,  near  York, 
and  the  Cedars,  Beckington, 
Somersetshire,  containing  single  rooms,  one  twelve 
feet  square  and  the  other  ten.  Large  ones  are  at 
Charlton,  Kent,  and  Drayton,  in  Northamptonshire. 


SUN-DIAL'.TRINITY  COLLEGE 


1 92 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Invegetate 
ornaments. 


Sometimes    they  were   two  stories  high,  as  at    Severn 
End,  near  Worcester. 

Greenhouses  were   an    important  adjunct  to  gardens 

which  contained  many 
exotics  too  tender  to 
be  left  out  of  doors 
in  the  winter.  Here 
also  gillyflowers,  carna- 
tions, and  orange  trees 
were  forced  into  bloom. 
The  latter  were  nu- 
merous, and  sometimes 
when  the  greenhouse  was  particularly  devoted  to  their 
use,  it  was  called  an  orangery.  At  Wimbledon,  as 
early  as  the  time  of  James  I,  there  was  an  orangery 
with  walls  of  brick  and  the  roof  covered  with  blue  slate. 
Here  were  sheltered  forty-two 
orange,  one  lemon,  one  pome- 
citron,  and  six  pomegranate 
trees. 

In  the  late  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, garden  statues,  obelisks, 
dials,  and  other  "  unvegetative  " 
ornaments  seemed  to  take  the 
place  of  flowers.  The  best  position  for  a  statue  was 
supposed  to  be  in  the  midst  of  a  fountain  or  at  the  ter- 
mination of  a  shady  walk,  rather  than  on  the  naked 


FOUNTAINS,  FROM  THE  "  SYSTEMA  HOKTICULTURA." 


GARDENS   OF   THE   STUARTS 


193 


GARDEN -HOUSE  :  PACK  WOOD 


surface  of  the  earth  or  the  centre  of  a  grass-plot. 
Obelisks,  either  plain  or  supporting  sun-dials,  were 
considered  more  appropriate  for  an  open  space  of 
ground.  Sun-dials  were  as  numerous  as  ever,  and 
constantly  appearing  in  new  forms.  In  New  College 
Garden  at  Oxford  was  one  planted  in  box.  Flower-pots, 
painted  blue  or  white 
and  placed  on  pedes- 
tals or  directly  on  the 
ground,  lined  the 
paths  or  surrounded 
the  basins  of  the 
fountains. 

The  importance  of 
water  could  never  be 
overlooked  by  reason  both  of  its  use  and  its  ornament. 
If  there  were  none  at  hand,  it  might  be  sought  according 
to  the  precepts  of  Rapinus,  an  author  much  admired  by 
Evelyn  and  quoted  by  Worlidge. 

"Where  small  declining  Hillocks  you  perceive 
Or  any  soil  where  flags  and  rushes  live, 
Where  the  flat  ground  shiny  moisture  yields 
There  hidden  springs  with  confidence  expect 
For  Sedgy  Places  still  do  Springs  direct.'* 


Every  garden    was   supposed  to   have   one   or   more  Fountains, 
fountains,  generally  constructed  of  marble  or  some  other 


Water- 
works. 


194 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Bowling- 
greens. 


Travellers' 
descriptions. 


stone.  The  illustrations  from  Worlidge  show  a  variety 
of  different  designs.  Celia  Fiennes  mentions  a  clock 
"  which  by  water-work  is  moved  and  strikes  the  hours 
and  chimes  the  quarters,  and  when  they  please  play 
lilibolaro  on  the  chimes." 

Bowling  had  now  become  the  favourite  outdoor  game 
to  the  exclusion  of  tennis.  At  Norton  Conyers  in 

Yorkshire  there  is  a  his- 
toric bowling-green  where 
Charles  I,  while  waiting  for 
supplies,  is  said  to  have 
played  for  five  consecu- 
tive days.  At  Levens  are 
some  old  seventeenth-cen- 
tury bowls  bearing  the  Bel- 
lingham  crests.  A  garden 
with  any  pretensions  was 
always  supplemented  by  a 
bowling-green,  usually  shaded  by  trees  and  varying  in 
its  proportions. 

The  most  celebrated  gardens  in  England  were  visited 
by  two  travellers,  John  Evelyn  and  Celia  Fiennes, 
toward  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Each  has 
left  descriptions  of  these  gardens,  which  add  much  to 
our  existing  store  of  information,  and  have  been  already 
quoted  in  this  chapter. 

Evelyn  was   particularly  interested    in    gardens   and 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


195 


proposed  to  write  a  book  about  them,  so  his  observa-  swaiiow- 
tions  are  deserving  of  especial  attention.  Of  Althorpe 
and  Cassiobury  he  speaks  with  admiration,  but  does  not 
describe  in  such  detail  as  the  gardens  at  Swallowfield. 
These  were  "  as  elegant  as  'tis  possible  to  make  a  flat 
by  art  and  industry  and  no  mean  expense,  my  Lady 
being  extraordinarily  skilled  in  the  flowery  part,  and  my 
Lord  in  diligence  of  plant- 
ing, so  that  I  have  hardly 
seen  a  seate  which  shews 
more  tokens  of  it  than  what 
is  to  be  found  here,  not  only 
in  the  delicious  and  rarest 
fruite  of  a  garden,  but  in 
those  innumerable  timber 
trees  in  the  ground  aboute 
the  seate  to  the  greatest 
ornament  and  benefit  of  the 

place.  There  is  one  orchard  of  one  thousand  golden 
and  other  cider  pippens,  walks  and  groves  of  elms, 
limes,  oaks,  and  other  trees.  The  garden  so  beset  with 
all  manner  of  sweete  shrubbs  that  it  perfumes  the  aire. 
The  distribution  also  of  the  quarters,  walks,  and  parterres 
is  excellent ;  the  nurseries,  kitchen  garden,  full  of  the 
most  desirable  plants ;  two  very  noble  orangeries,  well 
furnished ;  but  above  all,  the  canall  and  fishponds,  the 
one  fed  with  a  white  the  other  with  a  black  running 


WROUGHT  IRON  GRILLE  :  DRAYToN 


196 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


water,  fed  by  a  quick  and  swift  river,  so  well  and 
plentifully  stor'd  with  fish  that  for  pike,  carp,  breame, 
and  tench  I  never  saw  anything  approaching  it.  ... 
The  waters  are  flagged  about  with  Calamus  Aromaticus, 

with  which  my  Lady  has 
hung  a  closet  that  retains  the 
smell  very  perfectly.  There 
is  also  a  certaine  sweete 
smelling  willow  and  other 
exotics,  also  a  very  fine 
bowling  greene,  meadow, 
pasture,  and  wood ;  in  a 
word  all  that  can  render  a 


GATE-WAY:  on  AY  TON 


STONE  STEPS  '-  DRAY  TON 


country  seat  beautiful  and  delightful." 

Drayton.  At    Drayton,    in    Northamptonshire,    is   perhaps    the 

most  perfect  specimen  of  a  seventeenth-century  gar- 
den now  in  existence.  The 
pleached  alleys,  the  parterre 
with  its  gravel  walks  edged 
with  grass,  the  banqueting 
houses,  beautiful  wrought-iron 
gates,  and  orangery  are  all 
in  keeping.  The  Elizabethan 
wing,  added  to  the  original  house  of  Drayton,  bears 
date  1584,  and  has  been  attributed  to  John  Thorpe, 
who  was  much  employed  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
owner  and  builder  was  Lewis,  third  Lord  Mordaunt, 


GARDENS   OF  THE   STUARTS 


197 


who  succeeded  his  father  in   1572,  and   died   in    1601. 

His    wife    was     Elizabeth     D'Arcy,    and    their    arms 

occur    on    the    sun-dial,   still 

existing    on     the    low    wall 

between    the    formal    garden 

and     the     wilderness.      The 

formal    garden    is    evidently 

made     to     conform     to     the 

shape  of  the  enlarged  house. 
The     banqueting      houses 

bear  an  earl's  coronet  and  the 

arms  of  Henry,  second  Earl 

of  Peterborough,   1642-1699. 

The    iron    gates    were    put    up    about    1699   by    Mary, 

Baroness    Mordaunt,   who   succeeded   to   the  estate  on 

her  father's  death  in  1697.  She  married  first  Henry, 
seventh  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and  second 
Sir  John  Germain,  who  is  thought 
by  some  to  have  been  a  half  brother 
of  King  William  III,  and  who  is 
alluded  to  by  Horace  Walpole  as 
bringing  "the  garden  from  Holland; 
pyramidal  yews,  treillages,  and  square 

cradle  walks  with  windows  clipped  in  them." 


French 
ascendency. 


CHAPTER   VII 

FRENCH   FASHIONS 

DISTINCTIVE  style  of  garden  plan- 
ning and  planting  developed  in  France 
and  spread  thence  all  over  Europe  in 
the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. Previously,  although  the  French 
had  excelled  in  many  kinds  of  horticulture,  their  gar- 
dens had  developed  no  especial  characteristics  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  those  laid  out  at  the  same  time  in 
neighbouring  countries.  Contemporary  designs  were 
decidedly  inferior  to  those  of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 
But  when  Louis  XIV  came  into  power,  French  society 
underwent  a  revolution  which  had  a  far-reaching  effect 
upon  the  outward  expression  of  literature  and  art.  A 
new  policy  was  inaugurated  by  the  young  king,  the 
reverse  of  that  adopted  by  his  predecessors. 


^ 

Sis 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  199 

Henry  IV,  whose   example   was   followed    by    Louis  The  previ- 

ous  policy. 

XIII,  had  kept  the  peace  by  insisting  that  the  great 
noblemen  should  disperse  from  Paris  and  live  prac- 
tically isolated  on  their  country  estates.  His  own 
tastes  were  simple,  and  he  did  not  encourage  others 
to  indulge  themselves  with  needless  luxuries.  The 
gardens  attached  to  the  royal  palaces  and  to  those  of 
the  aristocracy,  as  we  see  them  depicted  by  Du  Cer- 
ceau  and  described  by  Mollet,  the  head  gardener  of 
both  Henry  IV  and  Louis  XIII,  were  neither  extensive 
nor  elaborate  compared  to  those  of  Louis  XIV.  To 
be  sure,  the  former  contained  most  of  the  component 
parts  of  the  later  gardens;  Mollet,  in  1582,  had  already 
planted  "parterres"  and  " compartements "  of  "broderie," 
according  to  the  designs  of  the  Sieur  du  Perac,  the 
king's  architect,  which  were  illustrated  by  De  Serres. 
Both  Du  Perac  and  De  Serres  were  evidently  well 
acquainted  with  ornamental  avenues  of  trees,  par- 
terres, bosquets,  labyrinths,  high  and  low  palisades, 
trelliswork,  alleys  whose  vistas  were  terminated  by 
statues,  fountains  or  perspectives  painted  on  canvas, 
grottoes,  terraces,  canals,  and  other  water-works.  There 
was,  however,  a  lack  of  freedom  and  continuity  in  the 
contours,  which  gave  the  design  a  cramped  appearance. 

Louis    XIV,  with   his   passion  for  power,  splendour,  The  new 
and    centralization,    began    his    reign    by   concentrating 
the  aristocracy  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris,  to  shine 


200  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

as  rays  emanating  from  the  sun  which  he  typified  in 
his  own  person.  To  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
king  and  this  brilliant  court,  remarkable  constructions 
were  not  only  attempted  but  completed  on  a  scale  of 
grandeur  scarcely  rivalled  since  the  time  of  Hadrian. 
Royal  palaces  were  built  large  enough  to  contain  a 
numerous  assemblage  of  courtiers  under  the  same  roof 
as  the  king.  Magnificent  gardens  were  constructed 
outside  these  palaces,  where  not  only  Louis  and  his 
court,  but  thousands  of  his  guests  —  including  finally 
the  public  at  large  —  were  provided  with  suitable  parade- 
grounds.  At  Versailles,  Marly,  and  St.  Cloud,  the  most 
celebrated  of  these  gardens  were  rapidly  laid  out  under 
the  king's  personal  supervision. 

Gardens  in  "  A  un  roi  majestueux  il  fallait  un  decor  en  conse- 
withMng  quence,"  states  M.  Georges  Riat  in  "  L'Art  des  Jardins," 
continuing  as  follows:  "The  personality  of  Louis  XIV 
explains  the  horticulture  as  well  as  the  art  and  letters 
of  his  time.  Just  as  the  little  gardens  of  the  Middle 
Ages  had  failed  to  suit  the  Medici  and  other  great 
Italian  noblemen  who  found  them  too  restricted  for  the 
display  of  their  court,  so  the  king  desired  vast  parks 
symbolizing  the  immensity  of  his  sway,  where  courtiers 
and  visitors  of  distinction  would  be  impressed  with  the 
new  sovereignty.  And  as  the  writers  and  artists  sought 
inspiration  in  the  masterpieces  of  antiquity,  gardeners 
also  were  inspired  by  these  models.  Extraordinarily 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  201 

well-chosen  they  were  to  accomplish  the  desired  ends. 
The  pomp  of  a  magnificent  court  could  conveniently 
display  itself  in  the  broad  and  endless  alleys  among 
the  parterres,  where  the  beauty  of  the  flowers  and 
statues  was  only  intended  to  bring  into  prominence  the 
charms  of  the  ladies,  where  nature,  submissive  to  man, 
lent  itself  to  every  sort  of  theatrical  fancy." 

The    credit    for    all   these    marvellous   works    of   art  credit  to  the 

king. 

was  given  to  the  king.  While  Le  Notre  planned  the 
arrangement  of  the  "bosquets  and  parterres,"  Le  Brun 
designed  the  fountains  and  statuary,  and  Francini  en- 
gineered the  stupendous  water-works,  their  ideas  were 
said  to  be  the  king's.  In  the  words  of  a  contemporary 
poem :  — 

"  Au  roi  de  toute  chose  on  doit  1'invention 
De  toutes  les  beaut£s  de  toutes  les  merveilles 
Qui  charment  les  esprits,  les  yeux  et  les  oreilles." 

After  making  liberal  allowances  for  poetical  exaggera- 
tion, the  fact  remains  that  without  Louis'  active  interest 
as  well  as  his  pecuniary  assistance,  such  gardens  could 
never  have  come  into  existence.  Everywhere  it  was 
his  delight  to  appear  to  do  the  impossible.  The 
triumphs  of  man  over  nature  were  strikingly  evident. 
Arid  plains  were  diversified  by  a  series  of  terraces, 
parterres  of  flowers,  and  marble  fountains ;  wildernesses 
of  trees  were  pierced  with  avenues,  irrigated  by  canals, 
and  divided  into  beautiful  groves  ornamented  witli 


202  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

architecture  and  sculpture.      Only  the  king's  imagina- 
tion and  revenues  could  have  sufficed  for  such   trans- 
formations. 
LeN6treas        Le  Notre,  however,  was  the  actual   creator  of   most 

leader  of  the 

newde-  of  the  famous  pleasure  grounds  of  Louis'  reign  and  the 
originator  of  the  new  style.  He  was  born  in  Paris 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  At  first  he  studied 
painting  under  Vouet  in  the  studio  with  Mignard,  Le 
Brun,  and  Lesueur;  then  he  decided  to  adopt  his 
father's  profession  and  to  succeed  him  as  superinten- 
dent of  the  king's  gardens.  To  fit  himself  for  this 
position  he  travelled  through  Italy  and  carefully  studied 
the  magnificent  villa  gardens  of  the  late  Renaissance. 
The  villas  Pamphili  and  Ludovisi  especially  impressed 
him.  But  while  these  may  have  been  his  point  of 
departure  in  the  Italian  style,  the  great  garden  archi- 
tect soon  developed  a  system  of  his  own  as  different 
as  France  from  Italy,  as  French  from  Italian  society, 
and  as  the  seventeenth  from  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  garden  of  Louis  XIV  and  of  Le  Notre  was  as 
distinct  a  creation  as  the  architecture  of  Mansart  or 
the  literature  of  Racine.  The  superstructure  may  have 
been  built  on  a  classic  foundation,  but  it  developed 
decidedly  individual  characteristics. 

LeNfitre's  The  style  of  Le  Notre  can  be  studied  in  the  existing 
gardens  he  laid  out,  in  engravings  from  his  plans,  and 
in  numerous  descriptions  of  their  arrangement.  These 


FRENCH  ENGRAVINGS  OF  GARDENS. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  203 

show  that  he  understood  the  laws  of  balance,  variety, 
and  contrast,  as  well  as  those  of  symmetry.  But  in  look- 
ing at  the  plans  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
gardens  were  never  actually  seen  from  a  bird's-eye  point 
of  view,  that  perspective  would  give  the  straight  paths 
the  appearance  of  converging,  that  trees  and  shrubs  of 
varying  height  filled  the  geometric  outlines  of  the 
"  bosquets,"  that  light  and  shadow  played  in  and  out  of 
the  scene.  Such  gardens  were  far  from  rigidly  formal 
or  monotonous  when  executed  in  the  right  spirit.  Each 
feature  had  its  object.  The  broad  paths  were  to  afford 
sufficient  space  for  the  enormous  hoop-skirts  of  the 
ladies,  the  covered  alleys  gave  opportunity  for  private 
conversation,  the  "  bosquets  "  were  "  salons  "  for  royal 
entertainments.  Even  the  ornamentation  had  its  dis- 
tinct purpose,  and  was  not  carelessly  distributed. 

The  most  celebrated  of  these  great  gardens  now  re-  The  best 
maining  is  Versailles,  though  in  their  day  Marly  and 
St.  Cloud  were  considered  equally  fine.  During  the  life 
of  Louis  XIV,  Versailles  underwent  constant  changes. 
At  first  the  palace  was  a  hunting-lodge  and  the  grounds 
insignificant.  In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
Louis  took  up  his  abode  there,  and  alteration  succeeded 
alteration,  until,  when  the  grounds  were  completely  laid 
out,  he  destroyed  his  own  creations  in  order  to  replace 
them  by  new  marvels.  The  vast  enclosure  of  the  park 
was  a  parallelogram  divided  into  halves  by  a  wide  opening 


204  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

between  groves  of  trees,  affording  space  for  the  canals, 
and  a  vista  stretching  far  away  to  the  horizon.  Near 
the  palace  were  the  magnificent  terraces  ornamented 
with  parterres  of  flowers,  fountains,  and  statues.  Be- 
yond were  the  plantations  of  trees  pierced  with 
avenues,  and  divided  into  fourteen  "  bosquets,"  not  to 
mention  several  acres  of  untouched  woodland. 
The  view  From  the  palace  the  visitor  passed  out,  then  as  now,  on 

terrace.  a  broad  terrace  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  build- 
ing, and  flanked  on  each  side  by  "parterres  de 
broderie."  Directly  in  front  was  the  superb  vista, 
stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  through  the 
centre  of  the  park,  ornamented  by  the  Grand  Canal, 
1560  metres  long  by  120  wide,  forming  at  its  extremity 
a  piece  of  water  195  metres  square.  Innumerable  mar- 
ble seats,  groups  of  statuary  and  fountains,  added  to  the 
sumptuous  appearance. 

The  Below   the    left-hand    "  parterre "    was   the   orangery, 

a  building  consisting  of  a  central  gallery  155  metres 
long,  by  1 290  wide,  and  two  lateral  galleries  each  1 1 5 
metres  long.  It  was  constructed  by  Mansart  on  the 
site  of  a  former  building  by  Le  Vau.  The  scale 
and  proportions  are  remarkably  good,  and  the  two 
staircases  leading  to  it  have  been  considered  the  finest 
pieces  of  architecture  at  Versailles.  When  Louis 
brought  the  Siamese  ambassadors  to  look  at  this  build- 
ing, they  exclaimed  that  it  was  good  enough  to  house  a 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  205 

king.  Behind  the  glass  doors  hundreds  of  Louis' 
favourite  orange  trees  were  protected  during  the  winter, 
and  thence  distributed  over  the  grounds  in  summer- 
time. In  front  of  the  orangery  was  a  parterre  de- 
signed by  La  Quintinie. 

The  "  bosquets  "  occupied  by  far  the  greater  portion  The  bos- 
of  the  park.  Most  of  them  still  exist,  although  the  q' 
wrought-iron  gates  which  shut  them  in  have  often 
disappeared,  and  the  trees  are  kept  less  trim  than 
formerly.  They  were  constructed  by  Le  Notre,  after  the 
symmetrical  avenues,  intersecting  the  old  hunting  forest 
of  Louis  XIII,  had  been  completed.  Each  "bosquet" 
was  a  grove  of  trees  arranged  to  outline  some  geomet- 
rical pattern,  and  containing  an  ornamental  feature  in 
its  centre.  The  first  was  the  "  Labyrinth,"  designed 
about  1615;  the  last,  the  "Colonnade,"  was  finished  in 
1686.  But  each  portion  was  remodelled  again  and 
again.  The  Palatine  writes  that  "  there  is  not  a  place 
at  Versailles,  which  has  not  been  done  over  ten  times, 
often  only  to  be  worse  for  the  change  in  the  end." 
Among  the  most  celebrated  of  these  ornamental  groves 
were  the  "  Labyrinth,"  the  "  Theatre  d'Eau,"  the  "  Salle 
de  Bal,"  the  "  Marais,"  the  "  Bosquet  des  Domes,"  the 
"  Isle  d'Amour,"  and  the  "  Quincunx  du  Midi." 

The  "  Bosquet  des  Domes"  is  perhaps  the  most  inter-  The  Bosquet 
esting  of  those  now  remaining.     On  its  site  was  origi- 
nally placed  the  Grotto  of  Thetis,  where  La  Fontaine 


206  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

read  aloud  the  "  Amours  de  Psyche "  to  Boileau, 
Racine,  and  Moliere.  This  was  supplanted  by  the 
Fountain  of  Fame,  by  the  Baths  of  Apollo,  and  finally 
by  nearly  the  present  arrangement.  The  central  foun- 
tain, enclosed  by  double  rows  of  balustrades,  remains  the 
same,  but  formerly  in  the  middle  stood  a  gilded  lead 
figure  of  Fame.  On  each  sid$  of  the  fountains  were 
placed  marble  pavilions  designed  by  Mansart,  which, 
with  eight  statues  placed  in  niches  of  trelliswork,  have 
disappeared,  but  the  other  features  have  been  recently 
restored.  As  a  whole  in  fact  the  "  Bosquet "  has  per- 
haps never  been  as  perfect  as  now.  The  engraving 
by  Israel  Silvestre  gives  a  good  idea  of  its  appearance 
in  1612. 

The  The    other    "bosquets"    were    equally    if    not    more 

Labyrinth.  eia^oratei  jn  fae  « Labyrinth "  were  lead  animals 
coloured  to  make  them  as  lifelike  as  possible,  and 
considered  to  be  among  the  greatest  marvels.  The 
"  Marais "  was  a  very  conventional  swamp  designed 
TheMarais.  by  Mme.  de  Montespan  and  ornamented  by  a  formal 
island,  bearing  a  bronze  tree  which  spouted  water  from 
each  of  its  iron  leaves.  On  two  opposite  sides  were 
the  celebrated  "  buffets,"  gigantic  sideboards  of  white 
and  red  marble.  From  the  shelves  water  spouted  in 
the  shape  of  glasses,  carafes,  and  vases,  which  looked 
as  though  they  were  made  of  rock  crystal.  In  the 
"  Theatre  d'Eau  "  was  a  stage  framed  and  ornamented 


FRENCH    FASHIONS 


207 
Spouts    of 


statuary. 


by  numerous  and  various  water-works, 
water  took  the  place  of  footlights  and  fell  from  dozens 
of  fountains  or  rose  from  others.  While  music 
sounded,  twelve  different  combinations  of  water,  form- 
ing aigrettes,  lances,  chandeliers,  etc.,  played  upon  the 
stage.  The  "  Salle  de  Bal  "  was  an  elliptical  "bosquet," 
enclosing  an  arena  surrounded  by  several  rows  of 
seats.  In  the  centre  of  the  arena  the  dancers  assembled, 
and  sometimes  the  king  himself  took  part  in  the  ballet. 

The  statuary  was  mostly  inspired  from  the  antique,  The 
if  not  an  exact  copy  of  some  well- 
known  work  of  art,  such  as  the 
Venus  of  Medici  or  the  Venus  of 
Richelieu.  It  was  profusely  scattered 
throughout  the  gardens  and  park,  to 
terminate  a  perspective,  embellish  a 
fountain,  or  adorn  the  centre  of  a 
parterre. 

More  originality  was  shown  in  the  vases  of  marble, 
bronze,  or  lead.  They  were  also  of  classic  design,  but 
more  modern  in  sentiment.  Blondel  edited  a  book 
called  "  Profils  et  ornements  de  vases,  executez  en 
marbre,  bronze  et  plombs  dans  les  Jardins  de  Ver- 
sailles, Trianon,  et  Marly."  The  urn  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration is  French  in  character. 

The    French    style   exerted    a    marked    influence    in  French  in- 
England.      On    account    of    its    expense,    however,    it  England. 


208 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


UPJP : 


Hampton 
Court. 


was  seldom  reproduced  except  in  the  larger  gardens, 
principally  in  those  belonging  to  the  king.  Charles 
II  desired  to  emulate  Louis  XIV,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose he  endeavoured  to  persuade 
Le  Notre,  among  other  French 
garden  architects,  to  enter  his  ser- 
vice. It  -is  not  absolutely  certain 
whether  Le  Notre  ever  came  to 
England,  but  it  is  generally  sup- 
posed that  he  designed  the  plan 
of  St.  James's  Park  and  important 
alterations  at  Hampton  Court. 
Other  English  gardens  which  have 
been  attributed  to  him  are  those 
at  Chatsworth,  Bramham,  and 
Holme  Lacey.  At  any  rate  these  have  much  in  com- 
mon with  the  French  style.  Beaumont,  who  called 
himself  a  pupil  of  Le  Notre,  remodelled  part  of  the 
gardens  at  Levens,  and  also  assisted  at  Hampton  Court. 
La  Quintinie  gave  Charles  various  suggestions,  but 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  remain  in  his  employ. 
Finally  John  Rose,  a  protege  of  the  Earl  of  Essex, 
who  had  been  sent  by  him  to  study  the  arrange- 
ment of  Versailles,  was  appointed  royal  gardener. 
Rose,  with  his  pupil  and  successor,  London,  then  be- 
came the  leaders  of  the  Anglo-French  school. 

The     natural     beauties     of     Hampton     Court    were 


FRENCH    FASHIONS 


209 


GATE  BY  TJJOU.HAMPTON  COURT 


greater  than  those  of  Versailles  on  account  of  the 
proximity  of  the  river  Thames,  but  there  was  less 
opportunity  for  obtaining 
a  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  When  Charles  II 
began  his  improvements, 
the  stretch  of  ground  be- 
hind the  palace  was  ap- 
parently devoid  of  interest. 
His  gardeners  (inspired  by 
Le  Notre,  if  not  under  his 
actual  guidance)  laid  out  the  three  avenues  of  limes 
converging  in  a  goose-foot  at  the  west  of  the  palace. 
On  the  line  of  the  principal  axis  of  the  palace  beyond 
the  goose-foot,  is  a  canal  of  water 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  long  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet 
wide,  fed  by  the  Longford  River. 
Five  hundred  acres  came  within 
the  scope  of  the  design  which  was 
afterward  completed  by  William  III. 
In  Knyff  and  Kip's  "  Britannia 
Illustrata  "  is  a  bird's-eye  view  of 
the  palace  and  its  surroundings 
as  they  appeared  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  with  the  Pond  Garden,  the  banqueting 
house,  and  other  Tudor  features  much  as  they  were  when 


:  HAMPTON  CQUHT 


210 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Bra 


Melbourne. 


first  laid  out,  and  the  new  gardens  begun  under  Charles  II 
and  completed  in  the  two  following  reigns.  Later  Kent 
swept  away  the  parterres  of  embroidery  and  many 
other  curious  features,  substituting  for  them  the 
present  lawns  of  grass.  Enough  remains,  however, 
to  form  one  of  the  most  delightful  series  of  gardens 
in  England. 

At  Bramham  in  Yorkshire  is  the  most  extensive 
and  in  certain  respects  the  finest  specimen  of  the 
French  style  in  England.  The  park  containing  hun- 
dreds of  acres  is  covered  with  a  forest  of  magnificent 
trees  pierced  with  broad  avenues.  As  the  ground  is 
hilly  there  are  opportunities  for  beautiful  vistas,  which 
in  some  cases  are  terminated  with  handsome  vases. 

The  water-works  are  exten- 
sive ;  a  long  canal  reflects 
the  foliage  on  its  surface  like 
a  mirror.  The  spirit  of  Ver- 
sailles has  never  been  more 
delightfully  reproduced. 

Another  very  charming 
garden  in  the  French  style 
is  at  Melbourne.  Sir  John 
Coke,  Secretary  of  State 
under  Charles  I,  acquired 
the  estate  in  1628.  The  present  gardens  were  laid  out 
for  Thomas  Coke,  afterward  chamberlain  to  George  I, 


TREES  AND  WATER,  BRAMHAM.     PHOTOGRAPH  BY  T.  MAFFET. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS 


211 


by  London's  partner,  Wise,  between  1704  and  1711. 
Near  the  house  are  some  grass  terraces  badly  cut  up 
with  poorly  designed  flower-beds,  but  the  rest  of  the 
gardens  were  planned  with  great  skill  and  have  been 
kept  up  almost  to  perfection.  The  scale  of  the  walks, 
the  square  basin  of  water,  the  fountains  and  statuary 
are  excellent.  In  the  middle  of  one  side  of  the  pond 
is  the  bird-cage  arbour,  a  splendid  piece  of  wrought- 
iron  work  which  would  look  better  if  not  painted  white. 

The  gardens  at  Wrest  Park  were  laid  out  by  wrestand 
Henry,  Duke  of  Kent,  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  are  in  the 
French  style.  They  are  particularly 
noticeable  for  their  beautiful  avenues 
of  elms.  One  of  them  forms  a  per- 
spective through  the  middle  of  the 


Levens. 


5VN-DIAL  AT  LE.VEN.3 


park  ornamented  with  a  long  canal.  Another  of  the 
avenues  was  laid  out  to  commemorate  the  landing  of 
William  III.  Other  gardens  showing  Le  Notre 's 
influence  are  at  Holme  Lacey,  where  there  is  a 
charming  garden-house  and  some  grass  alleys  bor- 
dered with  fine  yew  hedges,  and  at  Levens,  where  a 
part  of  the  gardens  was  designed  by  Beaumont,  who 
was  a  pupil  of  Le  Notre,  also  employed  at  Hamp- 
ton Court.  Views  of 

English  gar- 
Gardens   in  the  French   style,  many   of  which    have  dens  in  the 

French 

disappeared,  are  shown  in   Kip's  "  Britannia  Illustrata,"  style. 


212 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


English 
translations 
of  French 
books. 


CAT  E-WAY  : 


GARDEN  &  : 


published    in    1709,    in   the   third    volume    of   the  "  Vi- 
truvius  Britannicus,"   issued    by   Campbell    in    1725,  in 

"  Les  Delices  de  la  Grande 

Bretagne,"  and  in  Bade- 
slades  "Views."  All  con- 
tain numerous  bird's-eye 
views  of  elaborate  schemes, 
showing  that  almost  every 
great  house  at  this  period 
was  surrounded  by  magnifi- 
cent gardens  extending  into 
the  park  with  long  avenues  of  trees.  Among  the  finest 
were  those  at  Badminton,  Brome  Hall,  Cassiobury, 
Boughton,  Hinchinbrooke  Wollaton,  and  Longleat. 

The  works  of  contemporaneous  French  writers  on 
gardens  were  well  known  in  England  during  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries,  and  are  frequently 
quoted  by  English  authors.  Among  others  the  writings 
of  Sieur  Legendre  and  of  La  Quintinie  were  popu- 
larly translated,  the  latter  first  by  Evelyn  in  1658, 
under  the  name  of  the  "  Compleat  Gardner,"  and  again 
by  London  and  Wise  in  1699.  "  The  Retired  Gard- 
ner," from  the  French  of  Louis  Liger,  and  the  "  Soli- 
tary or  Carthusian  Gardener,"  from  the  French  of 
Fran9ois  Le  Gentil,  were  translations  by  London  and 
Wise. 

The  best  of  these,  or  in  fact  of   any   similar  books 


PARK,  MELBOURNE.    PHOTOGRAPH  BY  R.  KEENE. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  213 

written  before  or  afterward,  is  "  The  Theory  and  Le  Blond's 
Practice  of  Gardening,"  by  A.  Le  Blond,  attributed  to 
D'Argenville,  translated  by  John  James  and  published 
in  1703.  It  explains  Le  Notre's  theories,  as  applied 
to  gardens  of  ordinary  dimensions,  planned  to  be 
laid  out  and  kept  up  at  moderate  expense.  Le 
Blond's  precepts  are  so  valuable  to  every  one  inter- 
ested in  this  subject  that  they  have  been  quoted 
almost  verbatim  in  the  following  pages.  It  would 
be  impossible  to  improve  on  either  the  matter  or  the 
manner. 

In  the  first  place  it  was  assumed  that  the  garden 
architect  should  be  a  man  of  parts.  He  must  be  pro- 
ficient in  the  practice  of  the  arts  of  architecture, 
drawing,  and  ornamental  design,  and  in  the  sciences 
of  geometry  and  horticulture.  Starting  with  a  natural 
sense  of  beauty,  he  should  acquire  good  judgment 
from  actual  experience  and  from  the  contemplation  of 
the  finest  examples  of  art  and  nature.  Garden  archi- 
tecture was  a  profession  necessitating  unusual  intel- 
ligence strengthened  by  varied  attainments  not  to  be 
acquired  without  great  difficulty. 

The  garden  was  to  correspond  to  the  building  in  its  correspond- 
neighbourhood.     But  the  house  was  to  be  sacrificed  to  ^e/house 
the    garden    rather    than    the    garden    to    the    house.  **  gard 
"  By  reason  a  Country-house  ought  to  differ  from  one 
in  Town,  where  the  Extent    of  the   Buildings  is  more 


214  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

necessary  than  that  of  Gardens,  on  account  of  being 
the  more  usual  place  of  Dwelling  and  of  Land  bear- 
ing a  higher  Value.  The  country  we  court  chiefly 
to  have  our  Gardens  in  it  more  spacious  and 
magnificent." 

Funda-  These  fundamental   maxims  were  to  be  observed    in 

maxims.        laying  out  a  garden.     "  First  to  make  Art  give  place  to 

Nature ;    secondly,  never  to  cloud  and  darken  a  garden 

too  much.     Thirdly,  not  to  lay  it  too  open ;  and  fourthly, 

to  always  make  it  look  bigger   than  it   really    is."     In 

detail    these   maxims   are  explained   as   follows:       "In 

Planting  a    Garden    we    ought    to    have    more    regard 

to  Nature  than  Art,  making  use  of  the    latter  only  to 

set  off  the  beauties  of  the  former.     In    some    Gardens 

Arttogirc    we    see    nothing    but    what    is   uncommon,  forced,  and 

place  to 

nature.  preternatural,  everything  done  by  Dint  of  Money; 
such  as  high  Walls  to  terraces,  Great  Stairs  of  stone 
like  as  many  Quarries,  Fountains  cluttered  with 
Ornaments,  and  abundance  of  Arbours,  Cabinets,  and 
Porticoes  of  Lattice  work  filled  with  Figures,  Vases, 
and  so  forth,  which  shew  more  manual  Art  than 
anything  else. 

Open  spaces  "  Gardens  should  not  be  made  dull  and  gloomy  by 
clouding  them  with  Thickets  and  too  much  Cover. 
Fine  openings  should  be  preserved  about  the  Build- 
ing and  in  other  places  where  the  Prospect  of  the 
Country  can  be  seen  to  advantage :  for  which  reason 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  215 

we  never  set  anything  upon  Parterres,  Terraces,  Bowl- 
ing-Greens,  Slopes,  etc.,  but  small  Yews  and  Flower- 
ing Shrubs  which  taking  up  little  room  in  the  Air, 
we  have  the  free  Prospect  of  everything  about  us. 

"We  now  often  fall  into  the  contrary  Extreme  and  Mystery. 
lay  our  Gardens  too  open  under  the  pretence  of  mak- 
ing the  Parts  large;  there  are  twenty  considerable 
Gardens  about  Paris  spoiled  by  this  very  thing,  and 
where  it  is  needless  to  go  into  them  to  see  them ;  you 
discover  the  whole  at  one  view  from  the  Vestibule  of 
the  House  without  troubling  yourself  to  walk  in 
them.  This  is  certainly  very  wrong.  The  pleasure 
of  a  Garden  is  to  have  the  View  stopt  in  certain 
places,  that  you  may  be  led  on  with  Delight  to  see 
the  more  agreeable  Parts  of  it,  as  fine  Groves  or 
Woodwork,  Green  Halls  adorned  with  Fountains  and 
Figures,  etc.  Those  great  flat  Parts  and  the  Walks 
about  them  rob  us,  as  I  may  say,  of  the  room  where 
the  Wood  and  raised  Works  should  grow,  which 
make  the  Contrariety  and  Change  in  a  garden,  and 
which  make  all  the  rest  valuable;  when  the  shade  of 
these,  which  is  so  necessary,  is  wanting  there  is  no 
walking  in  summer  without  being  roasted,  which  is 
one  of  the  greatest  Inconveniences  and  Faults  that 
can  be. 

"  Gardens  that  lie  thus  open,  have  commonly  indeed  scale, 
a  fine  and  extensive   Prospect,  the  Walls  being  under 


216  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Terraces,  and  nothing  intervening  to  shut  out  the 
sight  any  way :  but  that  is  what  makes  them  look  half 
as  little  again  as  they  truly  are;  for  comparing  them 
with  the  neighbouring  Country,  with  which  they  are 
blended,  in  the  view,  they  appear,  as  it  were,  no 
bigger  than  one's  Hand,  contrary  to  that  fundamental 
Maxim  of  making  a  Garden ,%  always  look  bigger  than 
it  really  is,  either  by  artfully  stopping  the  Eye  with 
Hedges,  Walks  of  Trees,  or  Woods  judiciously  placed 
and  kept  to  a  proper  height,  or  making  Blinds  of  Wood 
against  the  Walls  to  amuse  the  Eye  with  a  consider- 
able Extent  where  the  Bounds  of  the  Inclosure  would 
otherwise  appear." 

General  pro-       The  general  proportion  of  a  garden  was  to  be  one- 
portions. 

third   longer  than  its    width,  or   the   length   might  be 

once  and  a  half  the  breadth ;  "  that  the  parts  by 
being  longer  than  they  are  wide,  may  be  more  pleas- 
ing to  the  Eye:  but  to  make  it  twice  or  thrice  its 
breadth  makes  the  place  look  disagreeable  and  no 
more  than  a  Gut." 

The  other  general  rules  that  were  to  be  observed 
in  the  disposition  and  distribution  of  gardens  were 
these :  — 

The  garden        "  There    should    always    be    a     Descent    from     the 

the  house.     Building  to  the  Garden,  of  three  steps    at   least;    this 

renders   the    Fabrick    more   dry  and    wholesome;    and 

from  the    Head   of   these   Steps    you    have    a   general 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  217 

View  of  the  Garden,  or  of  the  great  Part  of  it,  which 
yields  a  most  agreeable  Prospect. 

"A  Parterre  is  the  first   thing   that   should   present  The 

parterre. 

itself  to  Sight,  and  possess  the  Ground  next  the  Fab- 
rick,  whether  in  Front  or  on  the  Sides;  as  well  on 
account  of  the  opening  it  affords  the  Building  as  for 
the  Beauty  and  Richness  where  it  constantly  entertains 
the  Eye,  when  seen  from  every  Window  of  the  House. 
The  Sides  of  a  Parterre  should  be  furnished  with  such 
Works  as  may  improve  and  set  it  off ;  for  this  being 
low  and  flat,  necessarily  requires  something  raised  as 
Groves  and  Hedges.  But  herein,  Regard  should  be 
had  to  the  Situation  of  the  Place ;  and  it  should  be  ob- 
served, before  you  plant,  whether  the  Prospect  that  way 
be  agreeable;  for  then  the  sides  of  the  Parterre  should 
be  kept  entirely  open,  making  use  of  Quarters  of 
Grass,  and  other  flat  Works  to  make  the  best  of  the 
View,  and  taking  care  not  to  shut  it  up  with  Groves, 
unless  they  be  planted  in  Quincunce,  or  in  open  lines, 
with  low  Hedges,  which  hinder  not  the  Eye  from 
looking  between  the  trees,  and  discovering  the  Beauties 
of  the  Prospect  on  every  side. 

"  If  there  be   no  Prospect,  but,  on  the  contrary,  you  Edging  of 

parterre. 

have  a  Mountain,  Hill,  Forest,  or  Wood,  that  by  their 
Vicinity  deprive  you  of  that  Pleasure,  or  some  Village 
too  near  adjoining,  the  Houses  of  which  make  no  agree- 
able Sight;  you  may  then  edge  the  Parterre  with 


2i8  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

Hedges  and  Groves,  to  hide  those  ill-favoured  Objects ; 
for  by  this  means  you  lose  nothing,  nor  have  anything 
to  regret  in  Time  to  come.  .  .  . 

"  Groves  make  the  chief  Beauty  of  a  Garden,  and  are 
a  great  Ornament  to  all  the  other  Parts ;  so  that  one 
can  never  plant  too  many  of  them,  provided  the  places 
designed  them  take  not  up  those  of  the  Kitchen  and  Fruit- 
Gardens,  which  are  Things  very  useful  and  necessary  for 
a  great  House,  and  which  should  be  constantly  placed 
near  the  Bass-Courts,  that  the  Slovenliness,  which  is  un- 
avoidable in  these  Places,  may  lie  all  together,  and  be 
separated  by  a  Wall  from  the  other  Parts  of  the  Garden. 

Designs  of  "  To  accompany  Parterres  we  make  Choice  of  those 
Designs  of  Wood-work  that  are  most  delicate,  as  Groves 
opened  in  Compartiments,  Quincunces,  Verdant-halls, 
with  Bowling-greens,  Arbour-work,  and  Fountains  in  the 
middle.  These  small  Groves  are  so  much  the  more 
agreeable  near  a  House,  in  that  you  presently  find  shade, 
without  going  far  to  seek  it;  besides,  they  communicate 
a  coolness  to  the  Apartments,  which  is  very  much 
courted  in  hot  Weather. 

Groves  of  "  It  would  be  of  use  to  plant  some  small  Groves  of 
Evergreens,  that  you  might  have  the  Pleasure  of  seeing 
a  Wood  always  verdant  in  the  very  coldest  Seasons. 
They  would  look  very  well  when  seen  from  the  Build- 
ing; and  I  earnestly  recommend  the  planting  of  some 
Squares  of  them  in  a  handsome  Garden,  to  make  a 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  219 

Diversity  from  the  other  Wood ;  which  having  lost  its 
leaves  appears  quite  naked  all  the  Winter. 

"  The  Head  of  a  Parterre  is  usually  adorned  with  ornament*. 
Basins  or  Water-works ;  and  beyond,  with  a  circular  line 
of  Palisades,  or  Woodwork  cut  into  a  Goose-foot,  which 
leads  into  the  great  Walks ;  and  the  Space  between 
the  Basin  and  the  Palisade  is  filled  with  small  Pieces 
of  Embroidery,  or  Grass-work,  set  out  with  Yews,  Cases, 
and  Flower-Pots. 

"  In  gardens  that  have  Terrasses,  whether  Sideways,  vistaa. 
or  in  Front  of  the  Building,  where  there  is  a  delightful 
Prospect,  as  you  cannot  shut  up  the  Head  of  the  Par- 
terre by  a  circular  Palisade,  you  must,  to  continue  the 
View,  lay  several  Compartiments  of  a  Parterre  together, 
such  as  Embroidery,  Green-plots  after  the  English 
Manner,  or  Cut-work  which  should  be  divided  at  con- 
venient Distances  by  Cross-walks ;  taking  care  that  the 
Parterres  of  Embroidery  be  always  next  the  Building, 
as  being  the  richest  and  most  magnificent. 

"The  principal  Walk  should  be   made   in   Front  of  walks, 
the  Building,  and  another  large  one  to  cross  it  at  right 
Angles,  provided  they  be  double,  and  very  wide.     At 
the  end  of  these  Walks,  the  Walls  may  be  pierced  with 
Grills,  or  have  Openings  with    Ditches  at  the  Foot  ofc» 
them  to  continue  the  view ;  and  these  Grills  and  Open- 
ings may  be  made  to  serve  several  Walks  by  disposing 
them  into  Goose-feet,  Stars,  etc. 


220  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

"  If  you  have  any  Part  of  your  Ground  naturally  low 
and  marshy,  that  you  would  not  be  at  the  Expense  of 
filling  up,  you  may  employ  it  in  Bowling-greens,  Water- 
works, and  even  in  Groves,  raising  the  Alleys  only  to 
the  Level  of  those  that  are  near,  and  lead  to  them. 

"  After  you  have  laid  out  the  great  Walks  and  chief 
Lines  and  have  disposed  the  Parterres  and  Works  about 
the  Sides  and  Head  of  them  as  is  most  suitable  to  the 
Ground,  you  may  furnish  the  upper  part  and  the  rest  of 
the  Garden  with  several  different  Designs  as  tall  Groves, 
Quincunces,  Close-Walks,  Galleries,  and  Halls  of  Ver- 
dure, Green- Arbours,  Labyrinths,  Bowling-greens,  and 
Amphitheatres  adorned  with  Fountains,  Canals,  Fig- 
ures, etc.  All  these  Works  distinguish  a  Garden  very 
much  from  what  is  common,  and  contribute  not  a  little 
to  make  it  magnificent. 

Balance.  "  You  should  observe,  in  placing  and  distributing  the 

several  Parts  of  a  Garden,  always  to  oppose  them  one  to 
the  other.  For  example:  A  Wood  to  a  Parterre  or  a 
Bowling-green ;  and  not  to  put  all  the  Parterres  on  one 
side,  and  all  the  Wood  on  the  other ;  not  to  set  a  Bowl- 
ing-green against  a  Basin,  which  would  be  one  Gap 
against  another:  this  must  be  constantly  avoided  by 
setting  the  Full  against  the  Void  and  Flat  Works 
against  the  Raised  to  make  a  Contrariety. 

Diverse  "  And  this  Diversity  should  be  kept  not  only  in  the 

ornament^- 

tion.  general  Design  of  a  Garden,  but  likewise  in  each  distinct 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  221 

Piece;  as,  if  two  Groves  are  upon  the  Side  of  a  Par- 
terre, though  their  outward  Form  and  Dimensions  are 
equal,  you  should  not,  for  that  reason,  repeat  the  same 
Design  in  both,  but  make  them  different  within.  For 
it  would  be  very  disagreeable  to  find  the  same  thing  on 
both  sides ;  and  when  a  man  has  seen  one  to  have 
nothing  to  invite  his  Curiosity  to  see  the  other ;  which 
makes  a  Garden  so  repeated  justly  reckoned  as  no  more 
than  half  a  Design.  This  Fault  was  formerly  very 
common ;  but  it  is  not  so  of  late,  every  one  being  now 
convinced  that  the  greatest  Beauty  of  Gardens  is  Vari- 
ety. The  several  Parts  of  each  Piece  should  also  be 
diversified  as,  if  a  Basin  be  circular,  the  Walk  that  sur- 
rounds it  should  be  octangular,  and  so  of  Bowling- 
greens  and  Grass-plots  that  are  in  the  midst  of  Groves. 

"  The  same  Works  should  never  be  repeated  on  both  variety. 
sides,  but  in  the  open  Places,  where  the  Eye  by  com- 
paring them  together,  may  judge  of  their  conformity,  as 
in  Parterres,  Bowling-greens,  Groves  opened  in  Com- 
partiments  and  Quincunces.  But  in  Groves  formed  of 
Hedges  and  tall  Trees,  the  Designs  and  Out-parts 
should  be  always  varied ;  which  though  different,  ought, 
however,  to  have  such  Relation  and  Agreement  with 
each  other  in  their  Lines  and  Ranges  as  to  make  the 
Openings,  Glades,  and  Vistas  regular  and  agreeable. 

"  In  the  Business  of  Designs,  you  should  studiously  scale  and 
avoid  the  Manner  that  is  mean  and  pitiful  and  always  F 


222  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

aim  at  that  which  is  great  and  noble ;  not  making  little 
Cabinets  and  Mazes,  Basins  like  Bowl-dishes  and 
Alleys  so  narrow  that  two  Persons  can  scarce  go  abreast 
in  them.  'Twere  infinitely  better  to  have  but  two  or 
three  things  somewhat  large  than  a  dozen  small  ones 
which  are  no  more  than  very  Trifles. 
An  eye  to  "  Before  the  Design  of  a  garden  be  put  in  Execution, 

future  de-  .  .        \ 

veiopments.  you  should  consider  what  it  will  be  in  twenty  or  thirty 
years  to  come;  very  often  a  Design  which  looks  hand- 
some and  of  good  proportion  when  it  is  first  planted,  in 
process  of  time  becomes  so  small  and  ridiculous  that  one 
is  obliged  to  alter  it  or  to  destroy  it  entirely,  and  plant 
another  in  room  of  it. 

"  Care  should  be  taken  in  the  general  Distribution  of 
a  Garden  to  place  the  Trees  so  at  the  Ends  of  all  the 
Walks,  that  they  may  not  offend  the  Eye,  to  which  End 
the  Corners  and  the  Angles  of  every  part  of  a  Garden 
should  be  sloped,  or  cut  hollow,  which  would  make  the 
Cross-walks  more  agreeable  to  the  Eye,  and  more  con- 
venient for  walking,  than  to  find  Points  and  Corners 
advancing,  which  look  ill  upon  the  Ground  and  are  very 
inconvenient." 

There  are  many  other  rules  besides  these,  relating 
to  the  proportion,  conformity,  and  place  of  the  dif- 
ferent parts  and  ornaments  of  gardens,  which  are 
treated  of  in  ensuing  chapters,  and  are  of  great  value 
to  the  student. 


GATEWAY,  BROCKENHURST.    PHOTOGRAPH  BY  E.  A.  ROWE. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  223 

After  all  these  general  rules,  the  several  sorts  of 
gardens  in  use  are  distinguished  under  three  heads: 
gardens  on  a  perfect  level,  gardens  on  an  easy  ascent, 
and  gardens  whose  ground  and  level  are  separated  and 
interrupted  by  falls  of  terraces,  slopes,  banks,  flights  of 
steps,  etc. 

"Gardens  on  a  perfect  level  are  certainly  the  best  as  Onaievei. 
well  for  convenience  of  walking  as  for  that  their  long 
Alleys  and   Glades   having  no  risings  nor  fallings,  are 
less  chargeable  to  keep  than  others. 

"  Grounds  on  a  gentle  Ascent  are  not  altogether  Ascending, 
agreeable  and  convenient;  though  the  Shelving  be  im- 
perceptible nevertheless  it  fatigues  and  tires  one  ex- 
tremely to  be  always  going  up  Hill  or  down  Hill  without 
finding  scarcely  any  resting  place.  These  sloping 
Grounds  are  also  very  liable  to  be  spoiled  by  the  Torrents 
and  require  a  constant  Charge  to  maintain  them. 

"  Gardens  in  Terrasses  have  their  peculiar  Worth  and  Terraces. 
Beauty,  in  that  from  the  Height  of  one  Terrass  you 
discover  all  the  lower  Part  of  the  garden :  and  the  com- 
partiments  of  the  other  Terrasses,  which  form  so  many 
several  gardens  one  under  another,  and  present  you 
with  very  agreeable  Views  and  different  Scenes  of 
Things  provided  the  Terrasses  are  not  too  frequent  and 
there  be  good  Lengths  of  Level  between  them.  These 
Gardens  lie  very  advantageously  also  for  Water,  which 
may  be  repeated  from  one  to  another,  but  they  are  a 


224  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

great  Charge   to  keep  up,  and  cost   a  great  deal  the 
Making." 

"  'Tis  to  these  different  Situations  that  the  general 
Disposition  of  a  Garden  and  the  Distribution  of  its  parts 
ought  ever  to  be  accommodated:  This  is  so  evident, 
that  an  excellent  Design,  which  would  be  very  proper 
for  a  Garden  flat  and  upon  a  'perfect  Level,  would  be 
good  for  nothing  in  a  Ground  cut  asunder  by  divers 
terrasses  which  break  off  both  the  Level  and  the  Con- 
tinuity." 

Parterres.  A  series  of  divisions,  called  parterres,  from  the 
Latin  word  partire  (to  divide),  was  usually  placed  on 
some  level  spot  near  the  house.  These  compartments, 
surrounded  by  borders,  were  laid  in  more  or  less 
elaborate  geometrical  designs  edged  with  box.  In 
common  use  there  were  four  styles  of  parterres,  laid  out 
in  embroidery,  in  compartment,  in  cut-work,  or  after  the 
English  manner. 

Parterres  of       The  "parterre  of   Embroidery"  was  considered   the 

ana  com-  finest,  and  therefore  placed  nearest  the  house.  The 
design  was  an  imitation  of  embroidery  outlined  in  box. 
The  interior  of  the  knots  was  filled  with  dark  earth 
or  iron  filings,  and  sand  was  placed  on  the  narrow 
paths  to  bring  out  the  pattern  in  relief.  Similar  to 
these  were  the  compartment  parterres. 

cnt-work.  In  cut-work,  the  divisions  of  the  parterre  were  filled 
with  flowers  and  surrounded  by  sand  paths.  These 


STEPS  AND  GATEWAY,  BROCKENHURST.     PHOTOGRAPH  BY  E.  A.  ROWE. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  225 

paths  were  wider  than  those  in  the  parterres  of  em- 
broidery and  compartment  and  were  broad  enough  to 
walk  on. 

The  parterre  after  the  English  manner  was  considered  Parterres 
the  least  ornamental.     It  consisted  of  a  large  grass-plot, 


surrounded  by  a  border  of  flowers.  The  grass  was 
separated  from  the  border  by  a  sanded  path  two  or  three 
feet  wide.  A  boulingrin,  or  bowling-green,  was  a  sunken 
parterre  a  1'Anglaise. 

The  border  was  an  important  feature,  and  might  be  Borders. 
given  several  forms.  The  most  common  continuously 
surrounded  the  parterre,  was  edged  with  box,  daisies, 
sea-thrift,  or  some  other  plant,  and  planted  with  flowers 
and  shrubs.  Others  were  of  grass  or  sand  and  orna- 
mented with  yews,  orange  trees,  or  flowering  shrubs, 
in  vases,  flower-pots,  or  boxes,  or  with  lines  of  clipped 
and  pleached  trees  planted  in  the  ground. 

Walks  were  carefully  laid  out,  their  breadth  pro- 
portioned to  their  length.  The  principal  ones  leading 
to  the  house,  or  to  some  important  object  point,  were 
left  open,  while  covered  walks  were  placed  where  they 
would  not  obstruct  the  view,  therefore  not  on  the  main 
axes  of  the  garden.  Some  paths  were  single;  others 
were  in  threes,  the  central  one  twice  the  width  of  those 
on  each  side.  Lines  of  detached  trees  bordered  these 
paths.  Three  feet  was  allowed  each  person,  enabling 
two  people  to  walk  abreast  on  a  path  six  feet  wide,  four 


226  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

on  one  twelve,  etc.  The  surface  was  covered  with  pit 
or  river  sand. 

"  Hedges,"  Le  Blond  says,  "  by  the  agreeableness  of 
their  Verdure,  are  of  the  greatest  Service  in  Gardens, 
to  cover  the  Walls  that  inclose  the  Ground,  to  shut  up 
Hedges.  and  stop  the  sight  in  many  places,  that  the  Extent  of 
the  Garden  be  not  discovered  at  one  View,  and  to  correct 
and  redress  the  Bevelings  and  Elbows  of  Walls.  They 
serve  also  to  inclose  and  border  the  Squares  of  Wood, 
to  divide  them  from  the  other  Parts  of  the  Garden,  and 
to  prevent  their  being  entered  but  by  the  Walks  made 
for  that  purpose. 

"  The  most  usual  form  of  Hedges  is  a  great  Length 
and  even  Height,  making,  as  it  were,  a  Wall  or  green 
Tapestry ;  all  the  Beauty  of  which  consists  in  being  well 
filled  up  from  the  very  bottom,  of  no  great  Thickness, 
and  handsomely  clipped  on  both  sides  as  perpendicularly 
as  possible.  They  are  usually  cut  into  Fans,  Curtains, 
and  low  Hedges,  according  to  the  Nature  of  the  Place. 

"  Those  we  call  Fans  and  Curtains  are  no  other  than 
great"  and  very  tall  Hedges  which  serve  to  stop  the 
View,  to  shut  out  Places  that  are  disagreeable,  or  to 
hide  the  Divisions  of  a  Garden,  whence  they  have  their 
name ;  Their  Height  should  be  two  thirds  of  the  Breadth 
of  the  Walk.  The  Hedges  that  are  higher  than  this 
Proportion  make  the  Walks  look  pitiful  and  disagreeable 
to  the  Eye,  which  is  too  much  confined  by  them. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  227 

"  However,  if  you  would  raise  Hedges  very  high,  as  High 
fifty  or  sixty  Foot,  you  should  plant  tall  trees  in  the 
line  of  the  Hedge  itself,  and  keep  them  clipped  perpen- 
dicularly forwards  and  backwards,  so  that  the  Hedge 
may  fill  up  to  about  twenty  Foot  and  the  Trees  make 
good  the  rest.  And  as  it  would  be  difficult  to  cut  the 
tops  of  these  high  Trees  they  may  be  left  with  their 
Tufts  with  no  ill  effect.  It  happens  sometimes  that 
these  Hedges  are  unfurnished  at  Foot,  which  is  reme- 
died by  filling  up  the  lower  part  with  Box  or  Yew,  sup- 
ported by  a  small  trellis  of  five  or  six  Foot  high  as  may 
be  seen  in  many  Gardens. 

"  As  for  the  Banquettes,  they  are  low  Hedges  breast  LOW  hedges, 
high,  seldom  exceeding  three  or  four  Foot :  they  serve  on 
the  Sides  of  double  Walks,  where  being  also  kept  under, 
they  are  no  hindrances  to  the  enjoying  a  pleasant  View 
between  the  Trees :  they  become  disagreeable  when  they 
are  so  low  as  two  Foot  and  a  half,  and  at  four  Foot  they 
are  too  high ;  their  true  measure  is  three  Foot  and  a 
half.  There  are  some  of  these  Hedges  adorned  at  cer- 
tain Spaces  with  small  Balls  rising  out  of  the  Hedge 
itself,  to  keep  Place  with  the  Trees  that  are  planted  in 
the  others :  these  sorts  of  Hedges  with  Balls,  are  set 
in  Places  where  one  cannot  plant  large  Trees,  and 
where  there  must  be  scarcely  anything  to  accompany 
them  because  of  the  View. 

"  You  may  likewise  at  proper  Distances  make  Niches 


228 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Hedges  as      and  Sinkings  in  the  Hedges  for  placing  of  Seats,  Fig- 
back- 
grounds,      ures,  Vases,  and  Fountains,  as  in  Groves  and  at  the  ends 

of  Walks,  which  is  the  greatest  good  of  Hedges ;  for 
then  their  Verdure,  serving  as  a  Ground  to  these  Fig- 
ures, Fountains,  etc.,  infinitely  enhances  their  Beauty  by 

making  them  look 
detached,  and 
mightily  improves 
their  Worth  by  the 
Opposition  it  pro- 
duces: but  in  such 
particular  Places 
as  the  Cloisters, 
Galleries,  and 
Halls,  which  are 
made  in  Squares 
of  Wood,  Hedges 
are  usually  cut  into 
Arches  and  Por- 
ticos of  different 

Forms,  and  these  make  even  a  better  Effect  than  the 
others.  These  are  all  the  Forms  of  Hedges  that  are 
most  beautiful,  and  of  the  greatest  Variety  I  could 
think  of,  without  running  from  a  good  taste  and  into 
an  impossibility  of  Execution.  I  was  not  willing  to 
run  the  hazard  of  offering  any  pieces  of  invention 
only,  lest  they  should  appear  too  extraordinary  to  some 


LE.ADEM  BUSTS  AT  E.LVASTON 


A  SURPRISE  FOUNTAIN. 


THE  CEDARS  OF  LEBANON,  WILTON. 


FRENCH    FASHIONS  229 

People  and  even  impossible ;  but  chose  rather  to  col- 
lect Examples  already  executed  in  the  Royal  Gardens 
and  those  of  the  greatest  Reputation,  which  are  inserted 
in  a  particular  Plate  and  expressly  named;  that  they 
who  please  may  go  and  see  them  upon  the  spot  for  the 
cure  of  their  Incredulity,  and  for  forming  a  Judgment  of 
their  beautiful  Execution.  .  .  . 

"  These  Decorations  in  Green  compose  a  kind  of 
Order  of  Field  Architecture  .  .  .  most  proper  for  great 
Gardens  where  the  conformity  of  the  Hedges  tires  the 
Sight  unless  relieved  by  these  extraordinary  Verdures. 

"  This  is  what  may  be  done  agreeable  to  the  Taste  in 
the  matter  of  Hedges,  and  is  at  the  same  time  the  rich- 
est and  most  distinguished  in  the  whole  Business  of 
Gardening.  Heretofore  they  gave  them  a  thousand 
extravagant  Forms,  which  are  yet  much  in  use  in  the 
Gardens  of  Italy  and  Spain:  some  shaped  out  Men  on 
horse-back,  Boars,  Stags,  Dogs;  in  short  an  entire 
Hunting-piece.  Others  cut  them  into  Pyramids,  Obe- 
lisks, Balls,  and  Scrolls;  instances  of  which  are  to  be 
seen  in  some  old  Gardens  about  Paris.  This  practice 
still  continues  in  Holland  and  Flanders,  where  these 
whimsical  Designs  are  more  in  vogue  than  in  any  other 
Country.  And  this  particular  taste  prevails  not  only  in  porticoes, 
their  Hedges,  but  their  Groves,  Parterres,  Fountains,  and 
other  parts  of  their  Gardens  have  a  great  deal  of  it. 
The  English  and  Swedes  fall  more  into  our  manner 


230  ENGLISH    PLEASURE    GARDENS 

of  Gardening;  having  their  Designs  sent  over  to  them 
from  hence,  which  are  well  enough  performed,  and  have 
also  had  French  Architects  and  Gardeners  in  their 
country,  who  have  left  their  Productions  behind  them. 
At  present  no  one  gives  in  to  these  Trifles  in  French. 
They  chuse  rather  a  plain  regularity  less  cluttered  and 
confused,  which  indeed  looks  much  more  noble  and 
great." 

Porticoes,  arbours,  and  cabinets  of  latticework  had 
begun  to  go  out  of  fashion  when  Le  Blond's  book  was 
written,  and  green  arbours  formed  by  interweaving  the 
branches  of  trees  were  perhaps  more  common.  Green- 
houses or  orangeries  were  frequently  built.  In  winter 
they  served  to  protect  the  numerous  tender  plants,  and 
in  summer  they  served  as  a  gallery  to  walk  in  when  it 
rained.  They  were  usually  built  with  an  arched  fa9ade 
like  the  illustration.  Other  little  pleasure  houses,  like 
the  pavilion  at  Holme  Lacy,  were  common.  Belvederes 
or  pavilions  of  Aurora  were  similar  constructions  placed 
where  they  could  command  a  view  of  the  surrounding 
country. 

statues  and  Statues  and  vases  contributed  very  much  to  the 
"  Embellishment  and  Magnificence  of  Gardens "  and 
their  natural  beauties.  They  were  made  of  several 
forms  and  different  materials ;  the  richest  were  those 
of  bronze,  lead  gilt,  and  marble;  the  ordinary  sort 
were  of  iron,  stone,  or  stucco.  Statues  either  singly 


FRENCH    FASHIONS 


231 


or     in     groups     generally     represented      mythological 
characters. 

"  The  usual  places  for  Figures  and  Vases  are  along 
the  Hedges,  in  the  Front  and  upon  the  Sides  of  a  Par- 
terre ;  in  the  Niches  and  Sinkings  of  Hornbeam,  or  of 
Lattice-work  made  for  that  purpose.  In  Groves  they 
are  placed  in  the  Centre  of  a  Star 
or  St.  Andrew's  Cross;  in  the 
Spaces  between  the  Walks  of  a 
Goosefoot,  in  the  middle  of  Halls 
and  Cabinets  among  the  Trees  and 
Arches  of  a  Green  Gallery,  and  at 
the  Head  of  a  row  of  Trees  or 
detached  Hedges.  They  are  also 
placed  at  the  lower  End  of  Walks 
and  Vistas  to  set  them  off  the 
better;  in  Porticos  and  Arbours  of  Trelliswork;  in 
Basins,  Cascades,  etc.  In  general  they  do  well  every- 
where, and  you  can  scarce  have  too  many  of  them 
in  a  Garden.  But  as  in  the  Business  of  Sculpture,  it 
should  be  excellent,  as  well  as  in  Painting  and  Poesy.  I 
think  it  would  be  more  advisable  for  a  private  Gentle- 
man to  be  content  without  Figures  than  to  take  up 
with  such  as  are  indifferent  which  do  but  create  a  con- 
tinual Longing  after  this  Perfection,  the  Expense  of 
which  is  only  for  Princes  and  Ministers  of  State." 


CUPID:  MELBOURNE 


THE      FORE- COURT    WALL  :  HAfn    HOU5E 


Italian  in- 
spiration. 


A  survey  of 
the  past. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


ROM  the  time  of  the  Renaissance, 
Italy  has  been  the  fountain-head  of 
inspiration  for  garden-lovers.  Its 
climate  is  especially  adapted  to 
horticulture,  its  soil  is  a  mine 
of  garden  ornaments,  and  it  has 
maintained  the  traditions  of  the  finest  gardens  of 
antiquity.  For  their  design  and  ornamentation,  the 
statuary,  fountains,  and  pavilions  of  Italian  gardens  are 
unsurpassed.  Their  fame  has  been  noted  in  England 
since  the  seventeenth  century,  and  reproductions  of 
all  their  phases  have  been  abundant. 

A  rapid  survey  of  gardens  as  they  exist  or  have  existed 
in  Italy  will  help  us  to  understand  these  reproductions. 
In  describing  them  no  mention  will  be  made  of  the  col- 
lections of  botanical  specimens  and  of  strange  animals 
which  were  initiated  by  the  scientists  early  in  the  Renais- 
sance, for  these  collections,  though  interesting  as  the 

232 


FOUNTAIN,  VILLA  PETRAJA. 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


233 


forerunners  of  all  modern  botanical  gardens  and  zoological 
parks,  do  not,  strictly  speaking,  come  under  the  head  of 
pleasure  gardens.  Dur- 
ing the  fifteenth  century 
there  were,  indeed,  no 
gardens  constructed,  ex- 
cept for  more  or  less 
practical  purposes. 

The  transition  from 
the  mediaeval  garden  of 
the  fifteenth  to  the  ar- 
chitectural one  of  the 
sixteenth  century  was 
largely  brought  about 
by  the  influence  of 
Humanists  like  yEneas 
Silvias  Piccolomini  and  Giovanni  Colonna.  In  the 
"  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili "  (a 
novel  by  Colonna,  containing 
a  mixture  of  love,  philosophy, 
science,  and  archaeology)  we 
read  of  topiary  work,  statues 
and  columns,  temples  to  the 
Graces  and  to  Venus,  not  as 
existing  in  Colonna's  time  but 
as  long  before  described  by  Pliny,  and  later  to  develop 
in  the  typical  villas  of  the  Renaissance. 


234 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Tbe  rise  of 
the  villa. 


The  three 

periods. 


In  Italy  the  best  gardens  were  laid  out  during  the 
middle  period  of  the  Renaissance,  beginning  in  the  six- 
teenth century.  A  spontaneous 
delight  in  the  beauty  of  nature,  a 
sincere  love  of  art  and  keen  interest 
in  archaeology,  combined  to  create 
the  formal*  garden  in  a  nearly  per- 
fect style.  Almost  without  excep- 
tion these  gardens  were  attached 
to  the  villas  near  Rome  belonging 
to  the  cardinal  princes  of  the 
Church.  Many  have  been  pre- 


served in  practically  their  original  condition,  and  may 
still  be  studied  to  advantage. 

Chronologically,  the  villa  gardens  can  be  classed  in 
three  divisions.  Of  the 
first  period  (1500  to  1540), 
the  Villa  Madama,  by 
Raphael,  is  the  best  ex- 
ample now  extant.  In 
the  second  (1540  to  1580), 
the  greatest  perfection 
was  reached  in  garden 
architecture.  Among  the 
country-seats  built  at  that 
time  are  the  Villa  Caprarola  at  Caprarola,  the  Villa 
Lante  at  Bagnaja,  and  the  Villa  Papa  Giulio  at  Rome, 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


235 


all  three  designed  by  Vignola.  The  Villa  d'Este  at 
Tivoli  by  Ligorio,  the  Villa  Giusti  at  Verona,  partly 
attributed  to  Sammicheli,  and  a  number  of  others  near 
Genoa  also  belong  to  the  middle  period.  Finally,  after 
1580,  came  the  third  or  Barocco  period,  in  which  may 
be  included  the  villas  Aldobrandini,  Pamphili-Doria., 
Borghese,  and  Albani,  near  Rome,  with  most  of  those 
at  Frascati. 

The  earliest,  and  the  one  which  would  have  been 
the  most  magnificent  if  its  plans  had  been  completely 
carried  out,  was  the  Villa  Madama,  designed  by  Raphael 
for  Cardinal  Giulio  Medici, 
later  Clement  VII.  Raphael 
was  not  an  inexperienced 
architect,  for  —  then  twenty- 
six  years  old  —  he  had  built 
the  Farnesina,  a  charming 
country  house,  and  had  after- 
ward constructed  several 
churches  and  palaces.  Bra- 
mante,  when  dying,  had  ac- 
credited him  with  excelling 
no  less  in  the  art  of  building  than  in  that  of  painting. 
At  the  time  he  designed  the  Villa  Madama  he  was 
architect-in-chief  of  St.  Peter's.  As  Clement  VII  was 
an  antiquarian  and  Raphael  shared  his  interest  in 
archaeology,  it  is  supposed  that  together  they  attempted 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


to  reproduce  a  classic  villa.  But  the  site,  on  the 
abrupt  slope  of  Monte  Mario,  was  so  peculiar  that  the 
general  arrangement  of  Clement's  villa  must  have  been 
original.  Pliny's  description  of  his  own  villa  perhaps 
suggested  some  of  the  details,  —  the  hippodrome,  the 
swimming  bath,  the  terraces,  and  the  casino,  —  but  in 
Raphael's  hands  these  under- 
went a  transformation.  As, 
however,  he  died  before  the 
villa  was  much  more  than 
begun,  his  plans  were  modi- 
fied by  his  pupil,  Giulio  Ro- 
mano, though  owing  to  the 
precarious  position  of  Clem- 
ent VII,  the  building  was 
delayed,  and  before  its  com- 


DOORWAY  :  CAMBRIDGE 


pletion  sacked  by  the  Pope's  enemies.  The  general 
scheme  was  reconstructed  by  Percier  and  Fontaine  in 
"  Villas  pres  de  Rome."  At  the  entrance  was  a  spacious 
forecourt  leading  up  to  a  sort  of  loggia  which  ran  under 
the  house  and  connected  it  with  the  rear  courtyard,  an 
enclosure  divided  into  four  quarters,  intended  for  flowers, 
but  now  overgrown  with  grass  and  weeds.  One  of 
several  interesting  details  in  this  enclosure  is  the  door- 
way, flanked  by  colossal  statues,  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion. The  whole  lay-out  of  this  villa  must  have  given 
more  or  less  direct  inspiration  to  later  garden  architects. 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


237 


The  Villa  d'Este,  the  masterpiece  of  Piero  Ligorio, 
is  one  of  those  said  to  have  been  inspired  by  the  Villa 
Madama.  According  to  Percier  and  Fontaine,  it  was 
originally  begun  by  the  Bishop  of  Cordova; 
afterward  it  belonged  to  a  succession  of  Car- 
dinals d'Este,  and  a  recent  occupant  was  the 
late  Cardinal  Hohenlohe.  The  large  quantity 
of  water  employed  to  adorn  the  grounds  and 
the  great  variety  shown  in  its  treatment  seem 
to  indicate  a  reminiscence  of  the  Moorish  gardens  in 
Spain. 

Architecturally,  this  villa  is  especially  interesting  on 
account  of  the  ingenious  construction  of  the  terraces 
and  ramps  connecting  the  palace  with  the  gardens  far 
below.  The  ornamental  details  are  excellent  in  scale 
and  proportion,  and  merit  espe- 
cial attention.  But  the  peculiar 
charm  of  these  gardens  is  in 
their  atmosphere,  a  charm  none 
the  less  real  because  indefinable. 
The  mass  of  the  grounds  is  in 
shadow;  the  trees  have  grown 
to  a  great  height,  the  once  trim  hedges  are  no  longer 
clipped,  and  the  parterres  contain  no  cultivated  flowers. 
In  fact,  the  garden  has  become  an  unkempt  wilderness  ; 
but  gleams  of  sunshine,  the  songs  of  birds,  and  the 
sound  of  trickling  water  lighten  the  gloom  and  give 


238 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Caprarola. 


The  Villa 
Lante. 


to  the  desolation  an  agreeable  melancholy.  Looking 
from  the  terraces  and  belvederes,  through  the  firm,  dark 
foliage  of  the  cypresses,  there  are  wonderful  views  of 
the  Campagna,  which,  stretching  boundless  as  the  ocean, 
fades  into  the  sky  on  the  distant 
horizon. 

At  Caprarola,  forty  miles  or  so 
north  of  Rome,  the  octagonal 
fortress-like  castle  constructed  by 
Vignola  still  stands  intact.  As 
the  garden,  however,  is  not  kept 
up,  it  is  chiefly  interesting  on  ac- 


CAKYATIJE£.:VltLA 


count  of  its  charming  casino,  its  weird  hermae,  fauns,  and 
caryatides  ranged  along  the  terraces,  and  the  stone  stair- 
way bordered  by  dolphins  spouting  water  into  basins. 
The  Villa  Lante  is  another  of  Vignola's  creations. 
In  excellent  condition,  both  as  to  house  and  gardens,  it 
is  perhaps  the  most  perfect  example  of  a  seventeenth- 
century  villa.  "In  narrow  room,  nature's  whole  wealth, 
nay,  more  —  a  heaven  on  earth."  The  beautiful  motives 
which  nature  carelessly  scatters  over  the  landscape  are 
here  in  harmonious  contrast  with  art  and  logically  con- 
centrated near  the  chief  dwellings  or  casinos.  For  in- 
stance, the  mass  of  water  gushes  from  a  formal  cliff 
backing  the  highest  terrace,  falls  into  an  abreuvoir 
or  trough,  rises  in  a  spouting  fountain,  descends  in  a 
rippling  stream,  tumbles  in  a  noisy  cascade,  and  makes 


GARDEN  SCENE,  FROM  A  TAPESTRY. 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


239 


a  final  appearance  in  the  central  fountain  which  feeds 
the  miniature  lake  in  the  middle  of  the  flower-garden 
below  the  house.  The  river-gods  on  each  side  of  the 
cascade  were  added  in  the  seventeenth  century.  In  the 
older  fountains  like  the  one  at  Castello,  an  absence  of 
water  would  have  detracted  but  little  from  their  beauty, 
as  was  fitting  at  Florence  where  pure  drinking  water 
was  supplied  only  on  Sundays,  and  at  Bologna  which 
furnished  none  at  all  in  public  places.  At  Rome,  how- 
ever, the  water-supply  was  abundant,  and  in  the  foun- 
tains originated  by  Bernini  and  his  school  water  was 
the  dominant  and 
sculpture  the  sub- 
ordinate feature. 

The  Boboli  Gar- 
dens of  Florence, 
surrounding  the  Pitti 
Palace,  were  designed 
by  Tribolo  about 
1550.  The  greater 
part  of  the  grounds  bears  more  resemblance  to  a  park 
than  to  a  garden,  but  there  are  several  enclosures 
intended  for  flowers.  One  of  these  is  connected  with 
a  charming  spot  ornamented  by  Parigi,  known  as  the 
Isola  Bella.  This  artificial  island  is  in  the  centre  of  a 
geometrically  designed  lake  resembling  the  one  at  the 
Villa  Lante. 


240 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  Barocco 
period. 


The  old 
Italian 
gardens  at 
Wilton. 


The  barocco  period  is  demonstrated  in  the  villas 
Medici,  Albani,  Aldobrandini,  Pamphili-Doria,  and  in 
many  others  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rome  as  well  as 
scattered  all  over  Italy.  At 
this  time  the  palace  was  en- 
riched by  heavy  ornamentation, 
the  garden  became  correspond- 
ingly pompous,  and  the  gen- 
eral effect  was  rather  too 
magnificent.  The  Villa  Pam- 
phili-Doria is  one  of  the  most 
elaborate  examples  in  this  style.  Below  the  handsome 
palace  is  a  broad  terrace,  covered  with  a  typical  parterre, 
large  and  well  kept  up.  The 
ground  is  planted  with  an 
intricate  tracery  of  box  ac- 
cented by  shrubs  grown  in 
decorative  flower-pots.  This 
kind  of  parterre  has  been  fre- 
quently copied  in  England, 
but  seldom  with  much  suc- 
cess. The  Italian  gardens  of 
an  earlier  period  are  better 
adapted  for  reproduction  in 
northern  countries. 

One  of  the  oldest  Italian  designs  was  carried  out  at 
Wilton,  for  the   Earl  of   Pembroke,  by  Isaac  de  Caux, 


THE  COLUMN  AT  WILTON 


ITALIAN    VILLA   GARDENS 


241 


TREES  AND  A  5EAT  1  WILTON' 


in  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  century.  In  1640 
there  was  published  a  book  which  contained  illustra- 
tions of  Wilton  and  the  following  description  of  its 
plan :  "  The  Garden  within  the  enclosure  of  the  New 
Wall  is  a  Thousand  foote 
long  and  about  Foure 
hundred  in  breadth  di- 
vided in  its  length  into 
three  very  long  Squares 
or  Paralellograms ;  the 
first  of  which  divisions 
next  the  building  hath 
ffoure  Platts  embroydered;  in  the  midst  of  which  are 
ffoure  ffountaynes  with  Statues  of  marble  in  theire 
midle,  and  on  the  sides  of  those  Platts  are  the  Platts 
of  fHowers,  and  beyond  them  is  the  little  Terrass  rased 
for  the  more  advantage  of  beholding 
those  Platts ;  this  for  the  first  division. 
In  the  second  are  two  Groves  or  woods 
cut  with  diverse  walkes  and  through  those 
Groves  passeth  the  river  Nader  having 
a  breadth  in  this  place  44  foote  upon 
which  is  built  the  bridge  of  the  breadth 
of  the  greate  walk,  in  the  midst  of  the 


VASE:  WILTON 


aforesayd  groves  are  two  great  Statues  of  white  marble 
of  eight  ffoote  heigth,  the  one  of  Bacchus  and  the  other 
Flora,  and  on  the  sides  ranging  with  the  Platts  of  ffiowers 


242 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


are  two  covered  Arbors  of  300  ffoote  long  and  diverse 
allies  att  the  beginning  of  the  third  and  last  division 
are  on  either  side  of  the  great  walke, 
two  ponds  with  ffountaynes  and  two 
Columnes  in  the  midle  casting  water 
all  their  heigth  which  causeth  the 
moving  and  'turning  of  two  Crownes 
att  the  top  of  the  same  and  beyond  is 
a  compartiment  of  greene  with  divers 
walkes  planted  with  cherrie  trees  and  in  the  midle 
is  the  great  Ovall  with  the  gladiator  of  brass,  the 
most  famous  Statue  of  all  that  Antiquity  hath  left, 
on  the  sydes  of  this 
compartiment  and 
answering  the  platts 
of  flowers  and  long 
arbours  are  three 
arbours  of  either  side 
with  turning  Gal- 
laryes  communicat- 
ing themselves  one 
unto  another;  at  the  end  of  the  greate  walke  is  a 
Portico  of  stone  cutt  and  adorned  with  Pilasters 
and  Nyches  within  which  are  4  ffigures  of  white 
marble  of  5  ffoote  high,  on  either  side  of  the  sayd 
portico  is  an  assent  leading  up  to  the  terrasse  upon 
the  steps  whereof  instead  of  pillasters  are  Sea  Monsters 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


243 


casting  water  from  one  to  the  other,  from  the  top 
to  the  bottome  and  above  the  sayd  portico  is  a  great 
reserve  of  water  for  the  Grotto."  A  celebrated 
feature  was  this  elaborate  grotto,  which  was  always 
particularly  admired  by  visitors  to  Wilton. 

At  present   nothing  remains  of  the  pleasure  grounds  The  present 

pleasure 

designed    by    De    Caux   except    a    few   scattered    orna-  grounds  at 

Wilton. 

ments.  A  comparatively  new  garden  near  the  house 
has,  however,  been  laid 
out.  It  is  about  no  feet 
long  by  50  feet  wide. 
Here  the  contrast  of  light 
and  shade  produces  a 
charming  effect.  The 
dense  foliage  of  clipped 
elm,  yew,  and  ilex,  form- 
ing a  high  boundary  wall 
on  the  northwest  side  of 

the  parterre,  is  a  perfect  foil  for  the  gay  colours  of  the 
flowers  glowing  in  their  full  exposure  to  the  sunshine. 
All  the  architectural  features  of  the  parterre  are  designed 
with  great  refinement.  The  fountain,  suggested  per- 
haps by  that  of  G.  de  Bologna  at  Petraja,  with  the 
balustrading  surmounted  by  amorini,  the  leaden  urns, 
designed  by  Inigo  Jones,  the  seats,  and  even  the 
stone  copings  of  the  flower-beds  show  excellent  taste. 
Above  the  garden  is  a  triple-arched  casino,  called  the 


HOLBEIN  PAVILION  :  WILTON 


244 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  lawn. 


The  Palla- 
dian  Bridge. 


sculpture  gallery,  in  accord  with  the  prevalent  Italian 
style.     Through    the    high    clipped    hedge    a    vista    is 

gained  along  a  straight  path 
extending,  on  a  line  with 
the  main  axis  of  the  garden, 
through  a  plantation  of  trees 
for  several  hundred  feet,  and 
terminated  by  the  pavilion 
known  as  the  Holbein  porch. 
This  was  designed  by  Hol- 
bein for  an  entrance  to  the 


THE  PALLADIAN  BRIDGE '.  WILTONJ 


original  house,  afterward  partly  destroyed. 

Indirectly  the  beauty  of  the  lawn,  which  covers  over 
fifty  acres  between  the  formal  surroundings  of  the  house 
and  the  pretty,  though  sluggish,  river  Nader,  contributes 
to  the  loveliness  of  the  par- 
terre. It  is  restful  for  the 
eye  to  glance  from  the  brill- 
iant flower-beds  over  the 
cool  stretches  of  closely 
shaven  turf,  relieved  from 
monotony  by  the  occasional 
interposition  of  shrubbery 
and  groups  of  trees.  Among 


VASE  :  SHRUBLANDS 


the  latter  are  some  remarkably  fine  cedars  of  Lebanon. 
The  Palladian  Bridge,  spanning  the  Nader,  forms  an- 
other delightful  pavilion.     This  was  formerly  attributed 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


245 


to  Inigo  Jones,  but  is  now  said  to  be  the  work  of  a 
later  architect,  named  Morris.  The  illustrations  show 
its  excellent  proportions. 

Various  other  interesting  architectural  features  are 
scattered  through  the  pleasure  grounds.  An  orangery, 
an  exedra  suggesting 
one  of  those  at  Pom- 
peii, a  column  sur- 
mounted by  a  statue, 
and  a  quaint  Tudor 
summer-house,  built 
of  stone  curiously 
carved  and  orna- 
m  e  n  t  e  d,  may  be 
noted  as  especially  worthy  of  attention. 

It   is  evident  that  the   Villa  d'Este  furnished  many  shrubiand 
of  the   ideas  so  successfully  carried  out  at  Shrubiand 

Park.  Here  is  one  of  the 
best-planned  Italian  gar- 
dens in  England.  All  the 
architectural  features  are 
good  in  scale  and  propor- 
tion. There  are  terraces, 
pavilions,  vases,  and  statu- 
ary of  charming  design, 
as  can  be  seen  from  the  illustrations.  The  staircases 
connecting  the  terraces  near  the  house  with  the  pleasure 


.     -.,  _ 

^^&e^^^^^^-^- 

« 

'-,        :     4    • 

*#•?'*%.»£ 

7,''  •  '  '-y^'"^i 

'/•       K      * 

J^—iM 

.  ;_.  fpr.-'?  •   - 

5TONE 

5EAT:  SHRUBLANPS   • 

ARCH-WAY: CASTLE  ASHBY 


246 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Harewood. 


Bowood. 


Castle 
Aahby. 


grounds  on   the  level  ground  far  below  are  managed 

with  great  skill. 

At  Harewood,  the  style  of  architecture  is  similar  to 

that  of  Shrubland,   as   both    houses  were  built  by  Sir 

Charles  Barry.  Below  the 
house  is  a  magnificent  ter- 
race;* where  the  planting  and 
ornamentation  are  exception- 
ally fine  and  in  the  best  of 
keeping  with  the  surround- 
ings. Beside  the  retaining 
wall  is  a  herbaceous  border 
of  well-selected  annuals  and 
perennials. 

Another  fine  terrace  is  at 


VASE  AT  CASTLE  ASHBY 


Bowood.     The    architecture    is    interesting    in   spite  of 
being  rather  heavy;    for  both  the   house  and  its   sur- 
roundings are    sombre   if 
not  gloomy  in  character. 
Castle  Ashby,  although 
Elizabethan,   shows     Ital- 
ian influence  to  good  ad- 
vantage   in    a    series    of 


3" 


KOSARV  WITH  PERGOLA:  CASTLE -toHBv 


gardens  in  different  styles, 

extending  toward  the  west. 

The  so-called  Italian  garden  is  diversified  by  having  the 

family  coat-of-arms  and  various  rococo  designs,  outlined 


ITALIAN   VILLA   GARDENS 


247 


in  box  and  filled  in  with  many-coloured  pebbles  and 
coal-,  slate-,  or  granite-dust ;  the  idea  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  Villa  Albani  near  Rome.  The  archway  connect- 
ing this  with  an  adjoin- 
ing garden  is  shown  in 
the  illustration. 

Near  the  house  are 
several  parterres  orna- 
mented with  fountains 
and  well  accented  by 
cone-shaped  yews,  laurels, 
and  bay  trees.  Compact 
yew  hedges  mark  the 
subdivisions,  and  the  outer  enclosure  is  framed  by 

a   curious    balustrading   in 
which    letters,    taking    the 
place  of  the  ordinary  balus- 
ters, spell  out  biblical  texts. 
This   scheme   is    attractive 
more    from    a    sentimental 
than  an  architectural  point 
of  view.     The  rosary  is  very 
prettily   arranged ;     in    the 
centre  is  a  rustic  summer- 
house,  and  a   simple,   rose-covered  arbour,  ornamented 
at    intervals  with  statuary,  surrounds  the  outside. 
The  grounds  around   Longford  Castle  are,  for  some 


STATUARY  AT  LONGFORD  CASTLE 


248 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


distance,  perfectly  level.     The   parterre   is  sunk  below 
the  castle  and  engirdled  by  terraces.     It   is  well   laid 

out  in  the  formal  Italian 
style,  partly  bedded  out  and 
partly  planted  with  hardy 
annuals  and  perennials. 
The  architectural  features 
are  charming.  A  figure 
under  a  canopy  supported 
by  four  columns,  near 
the  end  of  the  main  path, 
is  especially  interesting. 
The  vases  surrounded  by 


VASL:  LONGFORD  CASTLE: 


flint  pavement  in  the  centre  of  each  section  of  the 
parterre  and  the  terminal  figures  around  the  semi- 
circle are  also  well  placed  and  well  designed.  In  gen- 
eral effect  the  parterre 
is  formal  without  being 
too  stiff  or  monotonous 
for  juxtaposition  with  the 
castle. 

Other  so-called  Italian 
gardens  are  numerous 
in  England,  but  few  are 


PERGOLA  AT  LONGFORD  CASTLE 


worthy  of  the  name.  Marble  statues  and  geometrical 
designs  bedded  out  with  geraniums  and  other  showy 
plants  form  but  a  travesty  of  the  real  villa  gardens. 


CHAPTER    IX 

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES 


XTREMES  met  in   the  eighteenth  The  rise  and 

fall  of 

century.       English      gardens      (no  romant;- 

.     .      '  cism. 

longer  original  creations  or  even 
clever  adaptations)  had  degenerated 
into  meaningless  repetitions  of 
French  and  Dutch  fashions.  Con- 
ventional plans  were  mimicked  or 
exaggerated  until  the  formal  manner  became  merely 
an  affected  mannerism.  Finally,  nothing  remaining  but 
the  defects  of  the  old  system,  a  reaction  resulted  in  its 
entire  destruction.  On  the  ruins  was  created  the  Land- 
scape Garden,  in  the  strict  meaning  of  the  word  no 
garden  at  all,  but  a  stretch  of  cultivated  scenery. 

249 


250 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The  abuse 
of  symme- 
try. 


Throughout  Europe  this  revolution  accorded  with  the 
spirit  of  the  times.  Every  sentimentalist,  republican 
philosopher,  or  romance  writer, 
rebelling  against  rigid  law  and 
order  of  any  kind,  delighted 
in  this  so-called  return  to  the 
freedom  of  nature.  Soon,  how- 
ever, nature  pure  and  simple 
came  to  be  considered  insipid, 
and  its  tameness  was  relieved 
by  picturesque  pieces  of  archi- 
tecture and  other  features  de- 
signed to  give  the  scene  a  more  sensational  appearance. 
A  love  of  the  romantic  was  partially  inspired  by 
the  Chinese,  whose  gardens  were  designed  to  appeal 
to  the  emotions.  Eventually  this  landscape  or  pictu- 
resque style,  a  too  studied  and  over-sentimental  struggle 
for  effect,  lost  all  spontaneity,  and  in  its  turn  fell  into 
decay. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  quarter  of 
the  century,  French  and  Dutch  influ- 
ences became  paramount  in  England. 
Both  styles  were  distinguished  by  a 
mathematical  precision  attributable 
rather  to  the  geometrician  than  to 
the  architect.  Scale  and  proportion  were  considered 
of  no  special  importance.  The  ideal  was  regularity. 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         251 


If  the  garden  appeared  spick  and  span,  with  paths 
absolutely  straight  and  smooth,  and  grass-plots  ex- 
actly square  and  even,  nothing  was  lacking,  except  an 
occasional  statue  or  dwarf  tree,  to  complete  its  per- 
fection. The  larger  the  garden,  the  larger  the  number 
of  grass-plots  all  alike  and  of  enclosures  similar  if  not 
exactly  the  same.  Symmetry  was 
carried  out  on  a  pointlessly  large 
scale,  for  the  corresponding  objects 
were  often  too  widely  separated  to 
come  within  the  same  line  of  vision. 
It  seemed  as  though  the  proprietor 
was  principally  desirous  of  showing  the  extent  of 
his  property,  and  the  gardener  his  knowledge  of 
geometry,  while  neither  displayed  a  ray  of  originality, 
or  evinced  any  fondness  for  the  real  pleasures  of  a 
garden. 

The  French  style,  without  the  guidance  of  Le  Notre,  Oppressive 

grandeur. 

had  even  in  France  degenerated  to  a  mere  display  of 
magnificent  dimensions,  oppressive  but  seldom  impres- 
sive. "  A  false  taste  for  grandeur  which  is  not  made 
for  man,  spoils  his  pleasures,"  Rousseau  remarks  in  this 
connection,  continuing :  "  The  grand  air  is  always  melan- 
choly; it  makes  us  think  of  the  miseries  of  the  man 
who  affects  it.  Amid  his  parterres  and  endless  alleys 
his  littleness  does  but  increase,  a  tree  twenty  feet  high 
shelters  him  as  well  as  one  of  sixty.  He  can  never 


252 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 


Dutch  char- 
acteristics. 


VASE  AT  LLVA5TON 


occupy  more  than  his  three  feet  of  space,  and  is  lost 
like  a  worm  in  his  immense  possessions."  This  de- 
scription reproduces  the  impres- 
sion received  upon  looking  at 
pictures  of  English  gardens  in 
the  same  style.  Ineffective  sym- 
metry, endlessly  long,  straight 
avenues-  with  no  apparent  object 
point,  and  a  succession  of  prim 
enclosures  are  wearisome  in  their 
meaningless  rigidity. 
The  Dutch  garden  is  said  to  have  been  brought  to 
England  by  William  III,  though  some  of  its  characteris- 
tics might  have  been  discovered  there  before  his  day.  It 
was  an  adaptation  of  the  French  and  Barocco  styles,  hardly 
to  be  called  original,  but  comprising  certain  features  at 
least  individual.  This  individuality  was  due  to  the 
limited  extent  of  terra-firma  and  to  the  abundance  of 
water  in  Holland.  An  ordinary  plan  became  extraordi- 
nary because  laid  out  on  such  a  surprisingly  small  scale. 
A  scheme  covering  dozens  of  acres  in  France  was  to  be 
seen  reproduced  on  a  fewer  number  of  feet  in  Holland. 
The  parterres  of  Versailles  might  almost  as  well  have 
been  reduced  to  serve  as  embroidery  for  a  pocket  hand- 
kerchief. In  a  Dutch  garden  no  tree  could  be  admitted 
until  its  growth  had  been  stunted,  and  no  flower  larger 
than  a  tulip  could  be  allowed  to  engross  the  space 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         253 

without  danger  of  spoiling  the  composition.  Shell-work 
took  the  place  of  marble,  and  glass  balls  or  other  trivial 
objects  were  often  substituted  for  statues,  as  ornamenta- 
tion. Miniature  canals  were  more  usual  than  fountains ; 
for  the  supply  of  water,  though  large,  had  not  the  force 
to  rise  to  a  height.  A  favourite  architectural  feature 
was  a  grotto,  answering  the  purpose  of  both  an  arbour 
and  a  summer-house.  This  niche  of  shell-work,  some- 
times encasing  paintings  of  mythological  subjects  and 
sheltering  a  spout  of  water,  was  far  less  attractive  than 
similar  niches  at  Pompeii,  where  the  barocco  orna- 
mentation appeared  more  appropriate. 

The  diminutive   size  of  the    Dutch  gardens    is   well 
brought  out  by  De  Amicis  in  his  account  of  Broek. 

"  The  gardens  are  not  less  odd  than  the  houses.  Miniature 
They  seem  made  for  dwarfs.  The  paths  are  scarcely 
wide  enough  for  the  feet,  the  arbours  can  only  contain 
two  very  small  people  standing  close  together,  the  box 
borders  would  not  reach  the  knee  of  a  child  four  years 
old.  Between  the  arbours  and  the  tiny  flower-beds 
there  are  little  canals  apparently  made  for  toy  boats, 
which  are  spanned  here  and  there  by  superfluous  bridges 
with  little  painted  railings  and  columns.  Basins  about 
as  large  as  a  wash-bowl  contain  a  Lilliputian  boat  tied 
by  a  red  cord  to  a  sky-blue  post;  tiny  steps,  paths,  gates, 
and  lattices  abound,  each  of  which  can  be  measured  with 
the  hand,  or  knocked  down  with  a  blow  of  the  fist,  or 


254  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

jumped  over  with  ease.  Around  houses  and  gardens 
stand  trees  cut  in  the  shape  of  fans,  plumes,  disks,  etc., 
with  their  trunks  painted  white  and  blue,  and  here  and 
there  appears  a  little  wooden  house  for  a  domestic  ani- 
mal, painted,  gilded,  and  carved  like  a  house  in  a  puppet 
show." 

Mmera-  The  bizarre  effects  suggested  in  the  preceding  descrip- 

gardens.  tion  are  still  more  evident  in  accounts  of  the  mineralogi- 
cal  gardens  in  Holland.  Here  vegetation  was  barely 
allowed  to  subsist  on  a  few  narrow  strips  of  ground. 
Walls  were  ornamented  with  shell-work,  parterres  with 
variegated  pebbles  and  statues  made  of  cockle-shells. 
Grottoes.  Evidences  of  Dutch  taste  were  shown  in  England  by 

the  frequent  introduction  of  dwarf  trees,  choice  tulips, 
and  canals  of  water.  Although  the  dampness  of  the 
climate  made  grottoes  peculiarly  unattractive,  they  also 
were  favourite  accessions.  Travellers  early  in  the 
seventeenth  century  often  described  the  famous  grotto 
at  Wilton,  but  this  was  rather  in  the  Italian  than  the 
Dutch  style.  Evelyn  designed  one  at  Albury  with  a 
"crypta  through  the  mountain  thirty  perches  in  length." 
Defoe  mentions  gardens  at  Richmond  and  Sutton  Court 
where  besides  canals  there  were  several  grottoes,  and 
others  are  described  by  various  contemporaneous  writers. 
Inconsistently  such  an  example  of  laboured  artificiality 
was  the  pride  of  Pope,  as  he  was  among  the  first  to 
ridicule  many  lesser  absurdities. 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         255 

"  I  have  put  my  last  hand  to  my  works  of  this  kind,  in  Pope's 

happily  finishing  the  subterraneous  way  and  grotto.     I  Twicken- 
ham, 
there  found  a  spring  of  the  clearest  water,  which  falls  in 

a  perpetual  rill,  that  echoes  through  the  cavern  day  and 
night.  From  the  river  Thames  you  see  through  my 
arch  up  a  walk  of  the  wilderness  to  a  kind  of  open 
temple,  wholly  composed  of  shells  in  the  rustic  manner; 
and  from  that  distance  under  the  temple,  you  look  down 
through  a  sloping  arcade  of  trees,  and  see  the  sails  on 
the  river  passing  suddenly  and  vanishing  as  through  a 
perspective  glass.  When  you  shut  the  doors  of  this 
grotto  it  becomes  on  the  instant,  from  a  luminous  room, 
a  camera  obscura,  on  the  walls  of  which  all  the  objects  of 
the  river,  hills,  woods,  and  boats  are  forming  a  moving 
picture  in  their  visible  radiations ;  and  when  you  have  a 
mind  to  light  it  up,  it  affords  you  a  very  different  scene. 
It  is  finished  with  shells  interspersed  with  pieces  of 
looking-glass  in  angular  forms;  and  in  the  ceiling  is  a 
star  of  the  same  material,  at  which,  when  a  lamp  of  an 
orbicular  figure  of  thin  alabaster  is  hung  in  the  middle, 
a  thousand  different  rays  glitter  and  are  reflected  over 
the  place. 

"  There  are  connected  to  this  grotto  by  a  narrow  pas- 
sage two  porches  with  niches  and  seats, —  one  towards 
the  river  of  smooth  stones,  full  of  light,  and  open ;  the 
other  towards  the  arch  of  trees,  rough  with  shells,  flints, 
and  iron-ore.  The  bottom  is  paved  with  simple  pebble 


256  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

as  the  adjoining  walk  up  the  Wilderness  to  the  temple 
is  to  be  cockle-shells,  in  the  natural  taste,  agreeing  not 
ill  with  the  little  dripping  murmur  and  the  aquatic  idea 
of  the  whole  place.  It  wants  nothing  to  complete  it  but 
a  good  Statue  with  an  inscription  like  that  beautiful 
antique  one  which  you  know  I  am  so  fond  of :  — 

"  '  Nymph  of  the  Grot,  those  sacred  springs  steep, 
And  to  the  murmur  of  these  waters  sleep. 
Ah,  spare  my  slumbers,  gently  tread  the  cave  ! 
And  drink  in  silence  or  in  silence  lave.'  " 

The  English       The  English  —  perhaps  because  they  had  most  abused 

rebellion.  . 

the  conventional  system  —  were  the  first  to  raise  an  out- 
cry against  formal  gardening.  Formality  could  certainly 
be  carried  to  no  greater  excess;  it  was  logical  to  seek 
beauty  in  a  contrary  extreme.  Freedom  from  every  re- 
straint was  the  gospel  of  the  new  school.  Kent,  its 
leader  according  to  Walpole,  was  the  first  to  jump  out- 
side the  fence  and  insist  that  the  garden  should  be  "  set 
free  from  its  prim  regularity,  and  the  gentle  stream  taught 
to  serpentize."  His  method,  as  described  by  Lord  Kames, 
was,  "to  paint  a  field  with  beautiful  objects,  natural  and 
artificial,  disposed  like  colours  upon  a  canvas.  It  requires 
indeed  more  genius  to  paint  in  the  gardening  way:  in 
forming  a  landscape  upon  a  canvas,  no  more  is  required 
but  to  adjust  the  figures  to  each  other:  an  artist  who 
lays  out  grounds  in  Kent's  way,  has  an  additional  task : 
he  ought  to  adjust  the  figures  to  the  several  varieties  of 
the  field. 


PAVILION,  AUDLEY  END. 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         257 

Kent  was  an  unsuccessful  painter,  whose  idea  was  to  Kentth* 
make  the  garden  a  reproduction  of  the  pictorial  effects  in 
nature,  as  seen  in  the  compositions  of  Claude  Lorraine, 
Poussin,  and  Salvator  Rosa.  "  He  felt  the  delicious 
contrast  of  hill  and  valley  changing  imperceptibly  into 
each  other,  tasted  the  beauties  of  the  gentle  swell  or 
concave  scoop,  and  remarked  how  loose  groves  crowned 
an  easy  eminence  with  a  happy  ornament,  and  while  they 
were  called  in  the  distant  view  between  their  graceful 
stems,  removed  and  extended  the  perspective  by  delusive 
comparison. 

"  Thus  the  pencil  of  his  imagination  bestowed  all  the 
arts  of  landscape  on  all  the  scenes  he  handled.  The 
great  principles  on  which  he  worked  were  perspective 
and  light  and  shade.  Groups  of  trees  broke  too  uniform 
or  too  extensive  a  lawn ;  evergreens  and  woods  were 
opposed  to  the  glare  of  the  champain,  and  where  the 
view  was  less  fortunate,  or  so  much  exposed  as  to  be 
beheld  at  once,  he  blotted  out  some  parts  by  thick 
shades,  to  divide  it  into  variety  or  to  make  the  richest 
scene  more  enchanting  by  reserving  it  to  a  farther  ad- 
vance of  the  spectator's  steps.  Thus  selecting  favourite 
objects,  and  veiling  deformities  by  screens  of  plantation ; 
sometimes  allowing  the  rudest  waste  to  add  its  foil  to  the 
richest  theatre,  he  realized  the  compositions  of  the  great- 
est masters  in  painting.  Where  objects  were  wanting 
to  animate  his  horizon,  his  taste  as  an  architect  could 


2$8  ENGLISH   PLEASURE  GARDENS 

bestow  immediate  termination.  His  buildings,  his  seats, 
his  temples,  were  more  the  works  of  his  pencil  than  of 
his  compass.  We  owe  the  restoration  of  Greece  and  the 
diffusion  of  architecture  to  his  skill  in  landscape." 

In  plain  words,  nothing  remained  of  the  old  style  in 

ence  of 

symmetry,  the  new  gardens.  These  latter  consisted  of  smooth 
lawns  of  grass,  diversified  by  clumps  of  trees,  and  inter- 
sected by  curved  paths  or  irregular  pieces  of  water. 
Nature  was  said  to  abhor  a  straight  line ;  hence  walks  and 
brooks  were  always  laid  out  in  "serpentine  meanders." 

Marks  of  decay  are  often  to  be  seen  in  nature ; 
Kent  reproduced  this  effect  by  planting  dead  trees  and 
stumps.  These  attempts  to  make  a  beautiful  wilderness 
often  resulted  in  nothing  but  a  confused  mass  of  dis- 
order, and  were  received  with  ridicule  even  by  the 
sentimentalists. 

"Capability  Among  Kent's  successors  was  "Capability"  Brown, 
so  nicknamed  because  he  invariably  discovered  that 
every  piece  of  ground  had  capabilities  of  being  improved 
by  his  methods.  He  is  said  to  have  had  supreme  con- 
trol over  the  art  of  modern  gardening  for  nearly  half 
a  century.  He  and  his  admirers  increased  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  naked  lawn,  multiplied  the  number  of  belts 
of  trees  and  shrubbery,  but  unfortunately  destroyed 
many  of  the  beautiful  old  gardens  to  make  way  for  their 
improvements. 

Repton.  The    best    exponent    of    the    landscape    school    was 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         259 

Repton.  In  spite  of  certain  weak  points,  his  book, 
"Observations  on  Landscape  Gardening,"  1803,  is  of 
great  assistance.  He  condemned  the  prevalent  custom 
of  substituting  everywhere  sunken  fences  or  ha-has  for 
hedges,  and  the  location  of  a  palace  or  villa  on  a  field 
of  grass,  while  approving  of  straight  avenues  as  a  means 
of  approach  to  the  dwelling  and  of  other  similar  here- 
sies. Many  beautiful  estates  in  England  have  been 
developed  according  to  his  ideas,  and  bear  witness  to 
his  good  taste. 

Intercourse  with  China  strengthened  the  influence  Chinese 
of  the  naturalistic  school,  while  adding  to  its  senti- 
mentality. In  China  the  landscape  garden  had  flour- 
ished from  2600  B.C.  It  was  a  microcosmus  of  the 
idealized  beauties  of  the  landscape  and  an  arrangement 
of  souvenirs  collected  from  all  over  the  country.  The 
composition  was  reduced  to  a  system,  where  balance 
took  the  place  of  symmetry.  Mountains,  rivers,  lakes, 
all  the  most  striking  features  to  be  found  in  the  land- 
scape were  reproduced  on  a  small  scale  and  given 
appropriate  surroundings.  It  was  intended  not  only 
that  the  garden  should  satisfy  the  sense  of  beauty,  but 
arouse  emotions  of  gaiety,  melancholy,  or  amazement. 
The  varying  moods  of  nature  were  reflected  and  en- 
hanced by  artificial  scenic  effects,  and  accented  by  suit- 
able architectural  features.  Each  season,  and  even  each 
hour  of  the  day,  was  given  a  fit  accompaniment. 


26o  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

^rj  over  jrurOpe  results  similar  to  those  produced  by 

son  between  ' 

Chinese  and    the  Chinese  were  aimed  at  with  more  or  less  success. 

English 

gardening.  "The  English  have  not  yet  brought  the  art  of  garden- 
ing to  the  same  perfection  as  the  Chinese,"  remarks 
Oliver  Goldsmith,  "but  have  lately  begun  to  imitate 
them ;  nature  is  now  followed  with  greater  assiduity 
than  formerly;  the  trees  are  suffered  to  shoot  out  into 
the  utmost  luxuriance ;  the  streams,  no  longer  forced 
from  their  native  beds,  are  permitted  to  wind  along  the 
valleys ;  the  spontaneous  flowers  take  the  place  of  the 
finished  parterre  and  the  enamelled  meadow  of  shaven 
green." 

Theim-  One  of  the  earliest  descriptions  of  the  Chinese  style 

pcrial 

gardens  at     was  a  translation  of  an  "  Account   of  the   Emperor  of 

Felon. 

China's  Gardens  near  Pekin,"  by  the  Jesuit  father,  Pere 
Attiret,  which  was  widely  circulated  in  England.  After 
describing  the  pleasure  houses,  courts  open  and  close, 
porticoes,  hills,  valleys,  streams,  lakes,  rivers,  and  cas- 
cades, "  which,  when  viewed  all  together,  have  an  admir- 
able effect  on  the  eye,"  he  continues :  "  They  go  from 
one  valley  to  another,  not  by  formal  straight  walks  as 
in  England,  but  by  various  turnings  and  windings, 
adorned  on  the  sides  by  little  pavilions  and  charming 
Grottoes;  and  each  of  these  valleys  is  diversified  from 
all  the  rest  both  by  their  manner  of  laying  out  the 
Ground,  and  in  the  Structure  and  Disposition  of  its 
Buildings. 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         261 

"  All  the  Risings  and  Hills  are  sprinkled  with  Trees 
and  particularly  with  Flowering  Trees  which  are  here 
very  common.  The  sides  of  the  Canals  or  lesser 
Streams  are  not  faced  (as  they  are  with  us)  with  smooth 
stone  and  in  a  straight  Line ;  but  look  rude  and  rustic 
with  different  Pieces  of  Rock,  some  of  which  jut  out, 
and  others  recede  inwards ;  and  are  placed  with  so  much 
Art  that  you  would  take  it  to  be  the  work  of  Nature. 
In  some  Parts  the  Water  is  wide,  in  others  narrow; 
here  it  serpentizes  and  there  spreads  away,  as  if  it  were 
really  pushed  away  by  the  hills  and  Rocks.  The  Banks 
are  sprinkled  with  flowers,  which  rise  up  even  through 
the  Hollows  in  the  Rock  work,  as  if  they  had  been  pro- 
duced there  naturally.  They  have  a  great  variety  of 
them  for  every  season  in  the  year." 

Another  treatise  which  produced  a  still   more  wide-  chambers* 
spread  effect  was  Sir  William  Chambers'  "Dissertations  tumson 
on  Oriental  Gardening."     He  advanced  the  proposition  Gardening." 
that  the  Chinese  were  not  averse  to  straight  lines,  and 
fully  explained  their  methods  of  appealing  to  the  emo- 
tions.    His  writings  are  worth  quoting  more  on  account 
of  their  far-reaching  influence  than  as  a  literal  descrip- 
tion   of    Chinese    gardening.        In    an    introduction    he 
states  that  "  The   Chinese    Gardeners   take    nature   for 
their  pattern  and  their  aim  is  to  imitate  all  her  beautiful 
irregularities  .  .  .  yet  they  are  not  so  attached  to  her 
as  to  exclude  all  appearance  of  art.     Art  must  supply 


262  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

the  scantiness  of  nature  and  not  only  be  employed  to 
produce  variety  but  also  novelty  and  effect:  for  the 
simple  arrangements  of  nature  are  to  be  met  with  in 
every  common  field  to  a  certain  degree  of  perfection, 
and  are  therefore  too  familiar  to  excite  any  strong  sen- 
sations in  the  mind  of  the  beholder  or  to  produce  any 
uncommon  degree  of  pleasure.  <% 

"  The  Chinese  are  no  enemies  of  straight  lines,  be- 
cause they  are  productive  of  grandeur,  which  often 
cannot  be  obtained  without  them:  nor  have  they  an 
aversion  to  regular  geometric  figures  which  they  say 
are  beautiful  in  themselves,  and  well  suited  to  small 
compositions,  where  the  luxuriant  irregularities  of  nature 
would  fill  up  and  embarrass  the  parts  they  should  adorn. 
They  likewise  think  them  properest  to  flower  gardens 
and  all  other  compositions  where  much  art  is  apparent 
in  the  culture,  and  where  it  should  therefore  not  be 
omitted  in  forms. 

"  Their  regular  buildings  they  generally  surround  with 
artificial  terraces,  slopes,  and  many  flights  of  steps,  the 
angles  of  which  are  adorned  with  groups  of  sculpture 
and  vases  intermingled  with  all  sorts  of  artificial  water- 
works, which,  connecting  with  the  architecture,  spread 
the  composition,  serve  to  give  it  consequence  and  add 
to  the  gaiety,  splendour,  and  bustle  of  the  scenery. 

"  Round  the  main  habitation,  and  near  all  the  deco- 
rated structures  the  grounds  are  laid  out  with  great 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         263 

regularity  and  kept  up  with  great  care:  no  plants  are 
admitted  that  intercept  the  view  of  the  buildings,  nor 
any  lines  but  such  as  accompany  the  architecture 
properly,  and  contribute  to  the  general  symmetry  and 
good  effect  of  the  whole  composition,  for  they  hold  it 
absurd  to  surround  an  elegant  fabric  with  disorderly 
rude  vegetation,  saying  it  looks  like  a  diamond  set  in 
lead,  and  always  conveys  the  idea  of  an  unfinished 
work.  When  the  buildings  are  rustic  the  scenery 
which  surrounds  them  is  wild,  when  they  are  grand  it 
is  gloomy,  when  gay  it  is  luxuriant:  in  short  the 
Chinese  are  scrupulously  nice  in  preserving  the  same 
character  through  every  part  of  the  composition ;  which 
is  one  great  reason  of  that  surprising  variety  with  which 
their  works  abound. 

"In  their  large  gardens  they  contrive  different  scenes 
for  different  times  of  the  day,  disposing  at  the  points 
of  view,  buildings  which  from  their  use  point  out  the 
proper  hour  for  enjoying  the  view  in  its  perfections; 
and  in  their  small  ones,  where,  as  has  been  observed, 
one  arrangement  produces  many  representations,  they 
make  use  of  the  same  artifice.  They  have  beside 
scenes  for  every  season  of  the  year:  some  for  winter 
generally  exposed  to  the  southern  sun  and  composed 
of  pines,  firs,  cedars,  evergreen  oaks,  phyllyrea,  hollies, 
yews,  junipers,  and  many  other  evergreens,  being  en- 
riched with  laurels  of  various  sorts,  laurestinas,  arbutus, 


264  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

and  other  such  plants  and  vegetables  as  grow  or  flourish 
in  cold  weather:  and  to  give  variety  and  gaiety  to  these 
gloomy  productions,  they  plant  amongst  them  in  regu- 
lar forms,  divided  by  walks,  all  the  rare  shrubs,  flowers, 
and  trees  of  the  torrid  zone,  which  they  cover  during 
the  winter  with  frames  of  glass  disposed  in  the  form  of 
temples  or  other  elegant  buildings.  These  they  call 
conservatories:  they  are  warmed  by  subterraneous  fires 
and  afford  a  comfortable  and  agreeable  retreat  when 
the  weather  is  too  cold  to  walk  in  the  open  air.  All 
sorts  of  melodious  birds  are  let  loose  within,  and  they 
keep  there  in  large  porcelain  cisterns  placed  on  rocks 
gold  and  silver  fishes  with  various  kinds  of  water  lilies, 
they  also  raise  in  them  a  variety  of  fruit."  Other  build- 
ings which  could  be  used  in  winter  were  menageries, 
aviaries,  decorated  dairies  and  buildings  for  various 
games,  besides  large  enclosures  in  the  woods  provided 
for  military  sports,  riding,  and  archery. 

For  summer  there  were  all  sorts  of  pavilions  provided, 
some  of  them  built  in  the  trees,  others  in  the  form  of 
Persian  tents  or  in  various  fantastic  shapes.  On  the 
grounds  of  one  of  the  imperial  palaces  there  were  four 
hundred  pavilions  each  in  a  different  style.  One  cost 
two  hundred  thousand  pounds  and  consisted  of  a  hundred 
rooms.  Perhaps  Marie  Antoinette  got  the  idea  of  her 
miniature  village  at  the  Petit  Trianon  from  this  same 
garden,  where  there  was  a  fortified  town  with  everything 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         265 

noteworthy  at  Pekin  on  a  small  scale.  In  this  mimic 
town  the  emperors,  too  much  the  slaves  of  their  great- 
ness to  appear  in  public,  were  diverted  several  times  in 
the  year  by  the  eunuchs  of  the  palace,  who  personated 
merchants,  shopkeepers,  artisans,  and  even  thieves  and 
pickpockets.  On  the  appointed  day  each  put  on  the 
habit  of  his  profession;  the  ships  arrived  at  the  port, 
the  shops  were  opened,  etc.,  and  the  business  of  life  was 
carried  on  as  if  this  were  a  real  town. 

For  autumn  there  were  plantations  of  oak,  beech,  and 
other  deciduous  trees  whose  leaves  turn  to  brilliant 
colours  as  winter  approaches.  Amidst  these  were  planted 
evergreens  and  fruit  trees,  where  the  few  flowers  which 
blossom-  late  in  the  year  grew  beside  "  decayed  trees  and 
dead  stumps  of  picturesque  forms  overspread  with  moss 
and  ivy." 

The  buildings  with  which  these  scenes  were  decorated 
were  such  as  indicated  decay,  being  intended  as  me- 
mentos of  death  to  the  passer-by.  Some  were  hermit- 
ages and  almshouses,  where  the  faithful  old  servants  of 
the  family  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  peace 
amidst  the  tombs  of  their  predecessors.  Then  there 
were  various  sorts  of  ruins :  half  buried  triumphal  arches 
and  mausoleums  with  mutilated  inscriptions,  that  once 
commemorated  the  heroes  of  ancient  times;  sepul- 
chres, catacombs,  and  cemeteries  for  favourite  domestic 
animals;  or  whatever  else  might  serve  to  indicate  the 


266  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

debility,  the  disappointments,  and  the  dissolution  of  hu- 
manity, which,  by  cooperating  with  the  dreary  aspect  of 
autumnal  nature  and  the  temperature  of  the  air,  rilled 
the  mind  with  melancholy  and  inclined  it  to  serious 
reflections. 

As  the  aim  of  the  Chinese  in  their  gardens  was  said 
to  be  not  only  to  please  but  to  terrify  or  surprise  the 
spectator,  they  were  accredited  with  almost  inconceivable 
devices  intended  to  produce  these  effects.  For  instance, 
Sir  William  Chambers  describes  scenes  of  terror  in 
gloomy  woods,  or  dark  caverns  where  everything  had 
been  blighted  or  devastated.  Bats,  owls,  vultures,  and 
other  birds  of  prey  dwelt  in  these  groves ;  wolves,  tigers, 
and  jackals  howled  in  the  forests;  while  half-famished 
animals  wandered  over  the  plains  where  gibbets,  crosses, 
wheels,  and  every  instrument  of  torture  were  visible  from 
the  thoroughfare.  The  surprises  he  describes  are  even 
more  incredible. 

To  us  it  does  not  seem  strange  that  some  people 
doubted  the  accuracy  of  these  descriptions,  although  Sir 
William  declares  in  the  second  edition  of  his  book  that 
it  was  all  the  exact  truth.  At  any  rate  many  writers 
followed  his  suggestions  in  their  theories,  and  many 
garden  makers  put  them  into  practice. 

The  emotional  or  sentimental  garden  found  a  prac- 
tical exponent  in  William  Shenstone.  He  wrote  some 
"Unconnected  Thoughts  on  Gardening,"  in  which  he 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES 


267 


improved  on  the  Chinese  theory,  saying  that  "objects 
should  be  less  calculated  to  strike  the  immediate  eye 
than  the  judgment  or  well-informed  imagination  as  in 
painting,"  and  he  believed  that  the  "sublime  had  gener- 
ally a  deeper  effect  than  the  merely  beautiful,"  while  he 
considered  that  "every  scene  we  see  in  nature  is  either 
tame  or  insipid." 

Shenstone's  "  Sentimental  Farm "  at  Leasowes,  in 
Shropshire,  was  much  admired.  It  was  calculated  to 
arouse  the  emotions  by  means  of  urns,  trophies,  weeping- 
willows,  inscriptions,  dragons  and  serpents  in  hideous 
attitudes,  and  other  symbols  in  harmony  with  the  grand, 
savage,  melancholy,  horrid,  or  beautiful  character  of  the 
landscape. 

Melancholy  seems  to  have 
been  a  favourite  emotion 
most  appropriately  inspired 
by  placing  funereal  monu- 
ments in  the  garden.  The 
grave  of  Pope's  mother,  for 
instance,  was  a  feature  in 
his  pleasure  ground,  ap- 
proached by  a  solemn  ave- 
nue of  cypress  trees,  while 
Byron's  favourite  dog  was  buried  under  a  conspicuous 
monument  in  the  garden  at  Newstead. 

Interesting   examples   of    the    landscape    and    of    the 


Cultivation 
of  melan- 
choly. 


268 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Kent's  pro- 


Brown's 
construction 
and  de- 
struction. 


sentimental  styles,  designed  by  Kent,  Brown,  Repton, 
Chambers,  and  their  disciples,  can  be  readily  recalled  as 
still  existing.  Perhaps  time  and  neglect  have  added  to 
their  charm ;  at  any  rate  some  of  these  pleasure  gardens 
have  a  restful  beauty  not  to  be  despised. 

Kent  designed,  among  other  gardens,  those  at  Stowe, 
Gunnersbury,  and  Rousham.  'The  number  of  temples 
at  Stowe  has  excited  ridicule,  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  some  of  these  were  added  by  Sir  John  Van- 
brugh.  At  Gunnersbury  Kent's  achievements  are  seen 
to  great  advantage.  The  stately  effect  of  the  classic 
temple  overshadowed  by  ancient  cedars  and  the  Gothic 
tower  above  the  placid  lake,  in  contrast  to  the  neigh- 
bouring woodland,  was  pro- 
duced by  an  expert  in  the 
combination  of  the  roman- 
tic with  the  picturesque. 

The  charming  temples  in 
the  Royal  Botanical  Gar- 
dens at  Kew  were  many 
of  them  designed  by  Sir 
William  Chambers.  Those 
shown  in  the  accompany- 


TEn?LE  OF  THE  SUN:  KEW 


ing  illustrations  are  known  as  the  temples  of  the  Sun 
and  "of  <#Lolus,  beside  two  smaller  classic  pavilions. 

Brown  is  responsible   for  the  gardens  at   Blenheim, 
Nuneham,  Trentham,  Burghley,  and  other  pretentious 


GARDENS,  GUNNERSBURY. 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         269 

places.  His  treatment  of  water  was  often  delightful,  as 
is  shown  in  the  lily  pond  at  Castle  Ashby.  Unfortu- 
nately his  first  step  was  often  to  undo  the  work  of  his 
predecessors,  until  he  has  come  to  be  considered  less  of 
a  creator  than  a  destroyer  of  gardens. 

In  Repton's  various  publications  his  methods  are  fully  Repton's 
described  and  illustrated  with  pictures,  showing  how  the 
landscape  would  appear  before  and  after  his  alterations. 
The  present  gardens  at  Ashridge  remain  much  as  he 
laid  them  out,  and  were  perhaps  his  favourite  design. 
No  less  than  fifteen  different  kinds  of  gardens  were 
proposed  in  his  map,  and  most  of  them  were  afterward 
constructed.  Two  of  the  prettiest  are  enclosures  called 
the  Rosary  and  the  Monks'  Garden,  both  formal  in  their 
arrangement.  At  Beaudesart  he  restored  an  old  gar- 
den that  it  might  be  in  keeping  with  the  Tudor  man- 
sion, and  everywhere  he  showed  a  respect  for  the  past 
surprisingly  in  contrast  to  Brown's  iconoclastic  methods. 
In  speaking  of  temples  he  mentions  the  temple  at  Tivoli 
as  the  perfection  of  its  type.  This  is  shown  in  the 
illustration  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  drawn  from 
a  painting  by  Claude  Lorraine. 

The  French  were  quick  to  adopt  the  English  style.  French 
It  was  heralded  by  philosophers  such  as  Rousseau,  who,  the  English 
as  Taine  said,  "made  the  dawn  visible  to  people  who  gard 
had  never  risen  till  noon,  the  landscape  to  eyes  that  had 
only  rested  hitherto  upon  drawing-rooms  and  palaces, 


2/o  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

the  natural  garden  to  men  who  had  only  walked  between 
tonsured  yews  and  rectilinear  flower-borders."  It  was 
praised  by  the  poets  and  exemplified  by  many  owners 
of  fine  estates.  The  Abbe  de  Lille  (entitled  "  le  nou- 
veau  Dieu  des  Jardins  "  by  the  Prince  de  Ligne),  whose 
book  called  "  Les  Jardins "  went  through  twenty  edi- 
tions, is  loud  in  admiration  'of  the  pictorial  side :  — 

"  Moins  pompeux  qu'etegant  moins  de'core'  que  beau 
Un  jardin  a  mes  yeux  est  un  vaste  tableau. 
Les  arbres,  les  rochers,  et  les  eaux  et  les  fleurs 
Ce  sont  la  vos  pinceaux,  vos  toiles,  vos  couleurs." 

The  Prince  de   Ligne,  who  wrote  an  essay  called  the 

the  Prince 

de  Ligne.  « Coup  d'ceil  sur  les  Jardins,"  laid  out  his  estate  at 
Belceil  in  a  style  "  tout  a  la  fois  magnifique  et  champetre." 
His  taste  was  for  moderation ;  he  preserved  tl\e  gardens 
of  the  old  school  designed  for  his  father,  while  adding 
pleasure  grounds  comprising  all  that  was  best  in  the 
English  fashion.  He  visited  many  of  the  gardens  in 
England,  and  showed  his  discrimination  by  objecting  to 
the  temple  mania  at  Stowe  and  to  the  cheap  manufac- 
ture of  classic  ruins  and  Gothic  architecture,  "apparently 
inspired,"  he  says,  "  by  the  delirium  of  a  nightmare." 

Ermenon-          At   Ermenonville  the   Marquis  de   Girardin  laid  out 

rille. 

some  gardens  in  the  height  of  the  new  style,  which 
attracted  much  attention.  One  of  his  treasures  on  a 
little  island  was  Rousseau's  grave.  It  was  overshadowed 
by  tall  poplars  and  marked  by  a  monument  of  antique 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         271 

design  ornamented  with  bas-reliefs  and  two  inscriptions : 
"  Id  repose  fhomme  de  la  nature  et  de  la  v'erite "  and 
"  Vitam  impendere  vero"  Another  tomb,  not  far  away, 
was  that  of  an  unknown  young  man,  who  was,  fortu- 
nately for  the  marquis,  inspired  by  Rousseau  to  commit 
suicide  on  the  island,  and  thus  add  to  the  melancholy 
interest  of  this  retired  spot.  "  On  decouvre  dans  une 
partie  touffue  et  sauvage  du  bois,  une  petite  tombe 
simple  et  negligee,  mais  remarquable  pour  le  triste  anec- 
dote qui  y  a  donne  lieu.  Un  jeune  homme,  dont  on  n'a 
jamais  su  le  nom  ni  1'histoire,  se  tua  en  ce  lieu  il  y  a 
quelques  annees  et  pria,  par  un  ecrit  qu'il  laissa,  M.  de 
Girardin  de  1'y  faire  enterrer.  II  parut  qu'une  partie  de 
ces  chagrins  venait  d'une  passion  malheureuse,  et  que  la 
lecture  des  ouyrages  de  J.-J.  1'avait  depuis  longtemps 
decide  a  finir  ainsi  ses  malheurs,  aupres  de  celui  qui 
lui  en  inspirait  le  triste  courage.  Quelques  jours  apres 
sa  mort  une  jeune  femme  vint  pleurer  pres  de  ce  monu- 
ment et  y  ecrire  des  vers  qui  firent  juger  qu'elle  meme 
etait  la  cause  du  desespoir  de  1'inconnu." 

Besides  the  temple  of  philosophy,  there  was  a  pyramid 
dedicated  to  the  same  study  and  inscribed  with  the 
names  of  the  "quatre  chantres  de  la  campagne,"  The- 
ocritus, Virgil,  Gessner,  and  St.  Lambert.  A  grove, 
impenetrable  to  the  sunlight,  sheltering  a  limpid  stream, 
a  Gothic  tower,  a  mill  recalling  the  picturesque  loveli- 
ness of  Italy,  and  a  dreary  desert  containing  a  simple 


272  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

hut  where,  in  surroundings  as  "  sauvage "  as  himself, 
Rousseau  had  been  accustomed  to  compose  his  writings, 
were  features  much  admired. 

Other  aspects  of  Ermenonville  were  described  by  the 
English  traveller  Arthur  Young.  "  Reach  Ermenonville, 
through  another  part  of  the  Prince  of  Conde's  forest, 
which  joins  the  ornamented,  grounds  of  the  Marquis 
Girardon.  This  place,  after  the  residence  and  death  of 
the  persecuted,  but  immortal,  Rousseau,  whose  tomb 
every  one  knows  is  here,  became  so  famous  as  to  be 
resorted  to  very  generally.  It  has  been  described,  and 
plates  published  of  the  chief  views ;  to  enter  into  a  par- 
ticular description  would  therefore  be  tiresome.  I  shall 
only  make  one  or  two  observations,  which  I  do  not 
recollect  having  been  touched  on  by  others.  It  consists 
of  three  distinct  water  scenes;  or  of  two  lakes  and  a 
river.  We  were  first  shown  that  which  is  so  famous  for 
the  small  Isle  of  Poplars,  in  which  reposes  all  that  was 
mortal  of  that  extraordinary  and  inimitable  writer.  This 
scene  is  as  well  imagined  and  as  well  executed  as  could 
be  wished.  The  water  is  between  forty  and  fifty  acres ; 
hills  rise  from  it  on  both  sides,  and  it  is  sufficiently 
closed  in  by  tall  wood  at  both  ends  to  render  it  seques- 
tered. The  remains  of  departed  genius  stamp  a  melan- 
choly idea,  from  which  decoration  would  depart  too 
much,  and  accordingly  there  is  little.  We  viewed  the 
scene  in  a  still  evening.  The  declining  sun  threw  a 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY    EXTREMES         273 

lengthened  shade  on  the  lake,  and  silence  seemed  to 
repose  on  its  unruffled  bosom.  .  .  .  The  worthies  to 
whom  the  temple  of  philosophers  is  dedicated  and  whose 
names  are  marked  on  the  columns,  are  Newton,  Lucem. 

—  Descartes,  Nil  in  rebus  inane.  —  Voltaire,  Ridiculum. 

—  Rousseau,  Naturam.  —  And    on   another  unfinished 
column,  Quis  hoc  perficiet?     The  other  lake  is  larger; 
it  nearly  fills  the  bottom  of  the  vale,  around  which  are 
some  rough,  rocky,  wild,  and  barren  sand-hills,   either 
broken  or  spread  with  heath ;   in  some  places  wooded 
and  in  others  thinly  scattered  with  junipers.     The  char- 
acter of  the  scene  is  that  of  wild  and  undecorated  nature, 
in  which  the  hand  of  art  was  meant  to  be  concealed  as 
much  as  was  consistent  with  ease  of  access." 

A  morbid  fondness  for  funereal  monuments  was  shown  Fondness 

.  for  funereal 

even  more  frequently  in  France  than  in  England.  The  monuments, 
sentimental  garden  without  a  grave  could  never  hope  to 
arouse  a  powerful  sensation  of  agreeable  melancholy. 
Girardin's  possession  of  Rousseau's  remains  made  him 
the  object  of  much  envy.  Coligny's  grave  added  to  the 
charms  of  Maupertin,  but  at  Mereville  there  was  only  an 
empty  cenotaph  to  Captain  Cook.  This  memorial,  a 
blue  marble  column  ornamented  with  rostra  and  sur- 
rounded by  weeping  willows  and  other  foreign  trees,  was 
on  the  middle  of  an  island.  The  pedestal  was  decorated 
with  bas-reliefs  of  savages,  urns,  and  other  mournful 
trophies.  At  Morfontaine  a  black  marble  monument, 


274 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Carmon- 
telle's 
theatric 
theory. 


Rusticity. 


erected  apparently  in  memory  of  no  one  in  particular, 
was  placed  in  the  midst  of  a  gloomy  grove,  and  served 
to  enhance  its  sad  and  solitary  appearance ;  while  Comte 
d'Artois  had  to  satisfy  himself  at  Bagatelle  with  the 
disused  tomb  of  one  of  the  Pharaohs.  Further  evidence 
of  this  funereal  taste  was  seen  at  Le  Plessis,  Chamant, 
and  other  gardens  of  this  period. 

Carmontelle,  a  garden  architect  and  historian,  had  a 
good  deal  of  influence  in  forming  the  French  taste  of  his 
day.  His  theory  was  that,  as  French  customs,  tastes,  and 
climate  differed  from  the  English,  their  gardens  should 
not  be  a  servile  imitation  of  those  across  the  Channel, 
but  should  be  composed  with  regard  to  these  differences. 
The  French  were  a  theatric  nation,  their  gardens  should 
be  made  "pays  d'illusions,"  where  the  change  of  scene 
should  resemble  that  on  the  stage.  They  should  not  be 

wholly  occupied  with  repre- 
senting the  "vie  purement 
champetre,"  since  the  actual 
peasantry  did  not  comprise 
such  types  as  were  painted 
by  Boucher  or  Fontenelle  or 
appeared  among  the  singers 
at  the  opera. 

Rusticity  found  its  expo- 
nents at  the  Pare  Monceau  and  at  Chantilly.  Here  were 
rural  hamlets,  including  barns,  dairies,  mills,  inns,  and 


GOTHIC  DA1RY.HODDESDON 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES         275 

bakeries.  One  of  the  barns,  however,  contained  a  superb 
salon,  decorated  in  the  most  elaborate  way,  where  a  ball 
was  given  in  honour  of  the  king  and  queen.  These 
miniature  villages  are  said  to  have  inspired  Marie  An^ 
toinette  with  a  desire  for  the  farm  at  the  Little  Trianon. 

Etiquette  was  so  burdensome  at  the  French  court 
that  the  pleasure-loving  queen  had  to  create  a  spot 
where  she  could  lay  it  aside.  Apparently  she  was  suc- 
cessful, for  the  Prince  de  Ligne  wrote  of  the  Little 
Trianon,  "  Here  truly  one  may  breathe  the  air  of  happi- 
ness and  liberty.  One  might  believe  oneself  a  hundred 
leagues  from  the  court." 

The    English    Garden    at    the    Petit    Trianon    was  The  Petit 

Trianon. 

planned,  directly  under  Marie  Antoinette's  supervision, 
by  the  Comte  de  Caraman  and  carried  out  by  her  gar- 
dener, Richard,  who  had  visited  England.  The  latter 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  a  celebrated  horticulturist. 
Near  the  chateau  were  the  more  formal  grounds,  con- 
taining the  pagoda,  grotto,  and  belvedere.  A  hamlet, 
inspired  by  that  of  the  Prince  de  Conde,  at  Chantilly, 
was  added  to  the  original  plan  in  1783.  It  consisted 
of  two  groups  of  buildings:  the  first  comprising  the 
queen's  cottage  and  a  mill  connected  with  a  billiard- 
room;  the  second,  a  gardener's  lodge,  poultry-house, 
tower,  dairy,  and  farmhouse,  with  its  dependencies. 
Here  the  queen  could  play  the  milkmaid  or  the 
shepherdess  and  indulge  in  all  her  frivolous  whims. 


276  ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 

The  German  In  Germany  the  landscape  school  was  upheld  by 
school.  Kant,  who  classed  gardening  under  the  head  of  paint- 
ing, saying:  "  It  is  nothing  else  but  the  decoration  of 
the  ground  with  the  same  variety  (grasses,  flowers, 
bushes,  and  trees,  even  waters,  hills,  and  valleys)  as 
nature  presents  to  the  sight,  only  in  different  combi- 
nations and  according  to  certajn  ideas.  But  the  beau- 
tiful juxtaposition  of  material  things  is  only  presented 
to  the  eyes  as  in  painting." 

All  over  Germany  and  Austria  gardens  were  laid 
out  in  the  English  fashion.  At  Sans  Souci  Frederick 
the  Great  began  some  gardens  in  this  style,  which  were 
finished  by  Frederick  William  III.  There  were  "Eng- 
lischer  Garten "  at  Hanover,  at  Woerlich  in  Anhalt- 
Dessau,  at  Nymphenburg  in  Bavaria,  at  Wilhelmshohe 
near  Cassel,  at  Potsdam,  at  Weimar,  and  at  various 
places  in  Austria.  These  had  the  usual  funereal 
monuments,  classic  temples,  Chinese  pagodas,  and 
artificial  ruins. 

English  Even    in    Russia    there    was   an    English   garden    in 

the  imperial  park  of  Tsarkoe-Selo,  which  was  begun  by 
the  Empress  Elizabeth  and  completed  by  Catherine  II. 
Here  the  inscriptions,  temples,  and  votive  offerings 
were  so  numerous  that  M.  Xavier  Marmier  remarks, 
"  If  the  austere  divinities  and  the  nymphs  of  the  wood 
and  water  in  that  northern  region  are  not  satisfied 
with  the  ornamentations  in  their  honour,  they  must 
be  pretty  hard  to  please." 


EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY   EXTREMES 


277 


Everywhere,  in  fact,  the  manufacture  of  the  beauties  The  craze 

for  inf or- 

of  nature,  of  sham  temples,  artificial  ruins,  and  orna-  maiity. 
mental  farms  was  wholesale.  To  be  in  keeping  with 
the  landscape,  ladies  masqueraded  as  goddesses  or  milk- 
maids, according  to  whether  they  graced  a  classic  or 
a  rustic  scene.  Simplicity  was  a  pose,  while  nature 
was  a  mass  of  deceitful  illusions.  At  the  close  of  the 
century,  as  Mr.  Sedding  remarks,  "  formality  gone  mad 
was  supplanted  by  informality  gone  equally  mad." 


T  EMPLE.    !    HEW 


GARDEN-HOUSE  AND  WALL-THL  ORCHARDS 


A  classifica- 
tion. 


Naturalistic 
gardens. 


CHAPTER   X 

MODERN   GARDENS 

LL  sorts  of  gardens  exist  in  Eng- 
land to-day.  To  classify  them  is 
almost  impossible,  but  broadly  they 
may  still  be  separated  into  two 
divisions  —  the  naturalistic  and  the 
formal.  Each  is  an  evolution  con- 
taining motives  derived  from  the  different  styles 
described  in  the  preceding  chapters,  with  the  addition 
of  certain  novel  features  bringing  the  garden  up  to 
date.  These  additions  are,  however,  adaptations  rather 
than  original  creations  in  their  design. 

Under  the  head  of  naturalistic  might  be  men- 
tioned the  many  so-called  wild,  Alpine,  rock,  bog,  water, 
and  subtropical  gardens,  if  the  latter  name  can  be 
applied  to  a  plantation  unconfined  by  apparent  bound- 
aries. This  style  is  usually  adopted  also  for  botanical 
gardens.  The  object  in  all  these  plantations  is  to 

278 


MODERN   GARDENS 


279 


naturalize  exotics  in  places  where  they  will  take  care 
of  themselves  and  gradually  grow  wild.  This  practice 
results  from  a  reaction  against 
the  troublesome  and  expensive 
custom  of  bedding  out  green- 
house plants  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  hardy  old-fashioned  an- 
nuals and  perennials.  The 
art  of  the  naturalistic  garden 
is  an  attempt  to  conceal  art 
and  to  give  nature  free  play. 
The  wild  garden  owes  much 
to  its  able  advocate,  Mr.  W. 
Robinson,  who  is  singularly  in  touch  with  many 
phases  of  nature  and  has  vigorously  protested  against 
bedding  out  and  all  elaborate  mosaic  culture.  He  says  The  wild 

garden . 

that  what  he  terms  the  wild  garden  has  no  connec- 
tion with  the  wilderness,  though  it  may  happen  to  be 
carried  out  there ;  and  that  it  does  not  necessarily  mean 
the  picturesque  garden,  for  picturesqueness  may  exist 
on  a  cultivated  plot  of  ground.  The  main  object  is  to 
make  the  plantation  look  natural  and  at  the  same  time 
to  group  the  plants  gracefully.  Unfortunately,  this 
is  by  no  means  easy,  especially  for  gardeners  who 
have  seen  nothing  outside  England.  Their  conception 
of  an  Alpine  garden  is  about  as  incongruous  with  the 
given  surroundings  as  would  be  an  English  park  on 


28o  ENGLISH    PLEASURE  GARDENS 

the  top  of  Mont  Blanc.  The  most  successful  wild  gar- 
dens are  those  where  a  demand  for  exotics  is  ignored 
and  only  English  plants  are  assisted  to  fulfil  a  natural 
bent. 

Alpine  and   rock  gardens  are  substantially  one  and 

gardens.  the  same  thing.  These  are  adapted  to  a  rocky  country 
where  by  rights  they  seem  to  belong.  Artificial  rock- 
work  constructed  in  places  where  there  are  no  natural 
cliffs  or  boulders  has  seldom  a  pleasing  appearance. 
The  result  when  these  gardens  are  carried  out  on  an 
extensive  scale,  as  in  the  large  grounds  at  Batsford 
Park,  may  be  very  charming,  but  the  effect  when  they 
are  crowded  into  a  small  space  and  almost  crushed 
under  the  walls  of  a  suburban  mansion  is  pitiful  if  not 
grotesque.  A  great  variety  of  Alpine  plants  are  suc- 
cessfully grown  in  England ;  among  them  rockfoil, 
sun  roses,  maiden  pink,  soapwort,  Alpine  linaria,  Alpine 
aster,  rock  speedwell,  erinus  silene,  violets,  arabis, 
gentians,  primula,  and  even  the  rare  edelweiss. 

The  bog  A  bog  garden,  it  need  hardly  be  explained,  is  a  bog 

where  plants,  usually  exotics,  adapted  to  moist  soil  are 
encouraged  to  thrive.  Where  there  is  no  natural  bog 
available,  an  artificial  one  is  constructed  as  described 
at  length  by  Mr.  Robinson  in  the  "  English  Flower 
Garden."  There  was  an  artificial  bog  at  Oxford  in  the 
seventeenth  century  containing  about  sixteen  hundred 
species  and  varieties  of  plants.  Among  those  now 


MODERN    GARDENS  281 

considered  best  adapted  for  the  purpose  are  trilliums, 
iris  kcempferi,  cipripediums,  primula  japonica,  primula 
sikkimensis,  marsh  mangolds,  etc. 

The    water   garden,    equally   of    course,    consists    of  The  water 

garden . 

plantations  of  flowers  growing  in  or  beside  streams  and 
ponds.  Of  water-plants,  varieties  of  the  nymphea  or 
water-lily,  are  most  effective.  The  lotus  is  very  beauti- 
ful but  less  easy  to  supply  with  right  conditions.  Where 
it  is  possible  to  combine  groups  of  water-plants  with 
those  thriving  by  the  waterside  and  those  requiring  only 
moist  ground,  the  result  may  prove  delightful.  A  good 
example  is  to  be  seen  at  Great  Tangley  Manor,  near 
Guilford. 

Another  form  of  wild  garden  contains  only  subtropi- 
cal  plants.  The  bamboo,  first  discovered  to  be  hardy  by 
Lord  de  Saumarez  at  Shrublands,  the  yucca,  tamarix 
acanthus,  and  certain  palms  can  be  cultivated  even  in 
the  more  northern  English  counties,  while  in  parts  of 
Cornwall,  camellias,  and  other  plants  of  an  almost  tropi- 
cal appearance,  flourish  in  the  open  air. 

Botanists  in  general  seem  to  prefer  the  naturalistic 
method.  The  best  part  of  the  important  botanical  col- 
lections at  Kew  is  thus  treated,  as  are  most  of  the  smaller 
English  botanical  collections. 

On  the  other  hand,  advocates  of  the  formal  garden  Advocates 
are  constantly  becoming  more  numerous.     One  of  the  tionaiity. 
first  was  T.  James,  who,  as  early  as  1839,  had  the  courage 


282 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


opinion. 


The  theory 
of  modern 
garden 
architects. 


to  decry  the  natural  or  English  style,  which  had  devel- 
oped into  scores  of  unmeaning  flower-beds  disfiguring 
the  lawn  in  the  shapes  of  kidneys,  tadpoles,  sausages, 
leeches,  and  commas.  James  says:  "  If  I  am  to  have  a 
system  at  all,  give  me  the  good  old  system  of  terraces 
and  angled  walks  and  clipt  yew  edges,  against  whose 
dark  and  rich  verdure  the  bright  old-fashioned  flowers 
glittered  in  the  sun.  I  love  the  topiary  art  with  its  open 
avowal  of  its  artificial  character.  It  repudiates  at  the 
first  glance  the  skulking  and  cowardly  'celare  artem ' 
principle,  and  in  its  vegetable  sculpture  is  the  properest 
transition  from  the  architecture  of  the  house  to  the 
natural  beauties  of  the  grove  and  paddock." 

William  Morris  also  championed  the  formal  garden 
and  declared  that  it  should  be  contained  in  a  definite 
enclosure.  "  Large  and  small,  the  garden  should  look 
both  orderly  and  rich.  It  should  be  fenced  from  the 
outer  world.  It  should  by  no  means  imitate  the  wilful- 
ness  or  wildness  of  nature,  but  should  look  like  a  thing 
never  seen  except  near  a  house." 

Several  modern  garden  architects  —  notably  Messrs. 
John  Sedding,  T.  W.  Mawson,  R.  Blomfield,  and 
F.  Inigo  Thomas  —  have  published  their  ideas  as  to 
how  a  garden  can  be  brought  to  perfection,  and  have 
also  put  their  theories  into  practice.  According  to  a 
consensus  of  opinion  the  essentials  of  their  system  are 
balance  if  not  symmetry  of  design ;  an  outer  enclosure 


MODERN  GARDEN,  NEWSTEAD  ABBEY. 


MODERN    GARDENS  283 

providing  seclusion  for  people,  and  protection,  besides  a 
background,  for  flowers;  clearly  defined  divisions  and 
subdivisions  and  ornamental  features  to  accent  various 
centres  of  interest.  Differences  of  level  in  the  differ- 
ent sections  are  added,  when  possible,  to  avoid  further 
danger  of  stiffness  or  monotony. 

Next  the  house,  when  its  site  is  on  a  slope,  a  terrace  The  terrace 

walk. 

is  considered  desirable.  Sometimes  it  may  be  treated 
merely  as  a  walk.  In  this  case  the  surface  is  planted 
entirely  with  grass,  or  with  alternate  strips  of  grass  and 
gravel  as  at  Battle  Abbey ;  or  with  a  pavement  of  tiles, 
of  brick,  or  of  stone  flags  as  at  Annesley.  Clipped  trees 
or  borders  of  herbaceous  plants  are  often  added  as 
ornaments. 

Sometimes  the  terrace  is  large  enough  to  contain  a  The  ten-ace 

with  a 

parterre  of  flowers,  as  at  Shrubland  Park,  Harewood  parterre, 
or  Wollaton  Hall.  The  parterre  must  then  receive 
a  treatment  corresponding  in  style  to  that  of  the  adja- 
cent house.  The  scale  of  the  beds  and  their  ornamen- 
tation must  harmonize  to  a  certain  extent  with  that  of 
the  building,  and  both  it  and  the  parterre  should  be  on 
the  same  axis. 

A  terrace  is  occasionally  abutted  by  a  bank  of  grass,  Terrace 

axchitcc- 

but  preferably  by  a  stone  retaining  wall.     Where  there  ture. 
is  but  a  slight  drop  —  not  more  than  three  feet  —  from 
the  level  of  the  terrace  to  that  of  the  ground  below,  the 
top  of  the  retaining  wall  need  not  rise  above  the  surface 


284 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Steps. 


Topiary 
work. 


of  the  terrace.  If  there  is  a  greater  descent,  the  terrace 
is  bounded  by  a  parapet,  consisting  of  a  continuation  of 
the  wall,  a  balustrading  of  stone  or  wood,  or  pierced 
stone  or  terra-cotta  panels.  Good  examples  of  stone 
balustrades  have  been  shown  in  the  illustrations  of 
Haddon,  St.  Catherine's  Court,  Brympton,  Montacute, 
and  Annesley;  of  pierced  stone  panels  at  the  Hall 
Bradford-on-Avon  and  at  Claverton  Manor;  of  terra- 
cotta panels  or  balustrades  at  Hatfield. 

It  will  be  seen  in  all  these  examples  that  the  character 
of  the  architecture  placed  on  the  terrace  conforms  with 

that  of  the  overshadow- 
ing building.  The  ar- 
rangement of  the  steps 
plays  an  important  part 
in  the  design. 

To  announce  the  ap- 
proach to  an  entrance, 
to  accent  some  especial 
form,  or  to  break  the 
monotony  of  a  long 
stretch  of  wall,  clipped  trees  and  shrubs  are  often  set 
out.  The  best  evergreens  for  this  purpose  are  the  com- 
mon Irish  yew  and  its  golden  variety  taxus  hiber- 
nica  aurea.  Cypress  and  juniper  can  also  be  kept  in 
good  shape,  and  holly  is  easily  preserved  in  pyramidal 
form.  For  elaborate  topiary  work  the  common  yew 


MODERN   GARDENS  285 

and  tree  box  are  best.  Yew  is  adapted  to  objects  of 
large  size,  as  is  evident  from  the  examples  at  Levens  and 
Elvaston.  Box  is  used  for  miniature  designs.  The 
curious  Dutch  specimens  of  topiary  work  at  Ascott  are 
clipped  from  dwarf  box  trees. 

For    cultivation    in    wooden    cases,    tubs,    or    large  Potted 
flower-pots,    Portugal    laurel,  sweet  bays,   orange  trees,  plants, 
and   lemon  verbena  are  frequently  used.      Where   the 
space    for    planting    is    limited,    these    are    important 
accessories. 

The  beauty  of  the  parterre  must  of  course  largely  Garden 
depend  upon  its  wealth  of  flowers.  For  producing 
masses  of  colour  perhaps  the  finest  perennials  are  iris, 
peonies,  roses,  lilies,  phlox,  larkspur,  Oriental  poppies, 
helianthus,  dahlias,  carnations,  and  gladioli.  Among 
the  most  effective  annuals  and  biennials  are  colum- 
bine, campanula,  poppies,  asters,  African  marigolds,  corn- 
flowers, sweet-william,  snapdragon,  wallflowers,  pinks, 
pyrethrum,  pentstemon,  and  hollyhocks.  For  fragrance, 
lavender,  mignonette,  alyssum,  nicotiana,  and  thyme  are 
much  cultivated.  There  are  besides  many  tender  or 
half-hardy  plants  which  must  be  partly  raised  in  a  green- 
house and  can  be  bedded  out  only  in  summer. 

A  few  flowering  shrubs  may  be  admitted  to  the  gar-  Flowering 
den.     Sweet  almond,  pirus  japonica,  azaleas,  and  rhodo-  vines, 
dendrons  are  usually  placed  in  the  border,  as  they  take 
up  too  much  room  in  the  flower-beds.     Clematis,  honey- 


286 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


No  impor- 
tant innova- 
tions. 


The  mate- 
rial of 
hedges. 


Archways. 


suckle,  ivy,  jasmine,  and  climbing  roses  are  used  to  cover 
arbours  and  form  festoons  and  garlands. 

No  novelties  worthy  of  especial  mention  have  been 
added  to  the  architectural  or  sculptural  ornamentation 
of  the  parterre.  Classic  statuary  and  classic  or  Renais- 
sance designs  for  fountains  are  better  models  than  any 
recently  erected,  while  Elizabethan  or  Jacobean  archi- 
tectural features  are  superior  to  those  evolved  nowa- 
days. It  is  strange  how  seldom  a  new  and  satisfactory 
note  is  struck  in  any  of  these  directions. 

The  boundary,  when  not  formed  by  a  wall,  usually 
consists  of  a  hedge.  The  best  and  most  durable  of 
these  barriers  are  constructed  from  evergreen  holly, 
yew,  tree  box,  or  cotoneaster,  and  from  deciduous 
trees  and  shrubs,  like  privet,  sweetbrier,  beech,  horn- 
beam, thorn,  and  mirobella  plum.  To  give  the  garden 
hedge  a  more  ornamental  appearance  than  if  it  enclosed 
a  field  or  meadow,  standard  trees  are  sometimes  intro- 
duced at  regular  intervals  and  allowed  to  rise  above  the 
rest  with  their  tops  clipped  in  balls  or  pyramids.  In 
other  cases  the  summit  of  the  hedge  is  clipped  in  the 
shape  of  battlements  as  at  Old  Place  and  Holme  Lacey, 
or  surmounted  by  quaint  figures  as  at  Sudeley  Castle 
near  Cheltenham  and  at  Brome  Hall  in  Norfolk. 

The  prettiest  openings  through  the  hedge  are  made 
in  the  form  of  arches  sometimes  flanked  by  pilasters  and 
overtopped  by  balls,  obelisks,  or  a  pointed  pediment. 


FOUNTAIN,  THE  ORCHARDS. 


PARK,  NEWSTEAD  ABBEY. 


MODERN   GARDENS 


287 


A  variety  of  the  best  examples  are  to  be  seen  at  Brock- 
enhurst. 

Tennis-courts,    croquet-grounds,    and    bowling-greens  Accommo- 

.  .  -11  dation  for 

are  provided   in  connection  with  almost  every  modern  games. 

garden,   laid  out  within  easy 

reach  of  the  house.     In  plan- 

ning these,  seats  are  usually 

placed  in  positions  convenient 

for  watching  the  progress  of 

the    game.       On    a    croquet- 

ground  or  bowling-green  the 

best  vantage   point   is  above 

the    goal,    on    a    tennis-court 

beside  the  division  line  formed 

by  the  net. 

The  proper  dimensions  for  a  tennis-court  are  seventy-  The  tennu- 
eight  by  thirty-six  feet  for  the  actual  divisions  marked 
out,  and  a  margin  of  twenty  feet  on  the  ends  and  five 
on  the  sides.  Dirt  courts  are  easier  to  keep  in  order, 
but  grassed  ones  are  more  attractive  looking  and  pre- 
ferred by  many  players.  The  ends  of  the  margin  are 
usually  oval  and  protected  by  back-nets. 

About  the  same  area  must  be  allowed  for  a  croquet-  The  croquet- 

ground. 
ground,  though  its  size  is  more  variable  ;  the  surface,  it 

need  hardly  be  said,  is  always  planted  with  grass. 

Bowling-greens    vary    greatly    in    their    proportions. 
Forty  yards    square   is  supposed  to  be  the   regulation 


288 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Modern 
style. 


size,  but  they  are  often  much  narrower.     The  green  is 

usually  enclosed  by  a  wall  or  hedge,  or  sunken  below 
the  level  of  the  lawn.  Many  new 
bowling-greens  are  being  constructed, 
as  bowling  has  lately  begun  to  return 
into  fashion. 

As  to  style,  'modern  taste  is  eclectic ; 
it  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  the 
most  inspiration  has  been  recently 
derived  from  mediaeval,  Elizabethan, 
Italian,  Dutch,  or  French  authorities. 
Many  modern  instances  contain  selec- 
tions from  each,  but  unfortunately  few 

of  the  former  are  really  representative  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, or  a  fine  expression  of  characteristic  English  taste. 
In  some  of  the  best  modern  English  gardens  there  is 

a  combination  of  classic  statuary, 

Renaissance    fountains,    French 

perspectives,  Dutch  topiary  work, 

and   flowers    from    all    over  the 

world.     But   in  such    a   garden, 

when  there  is  breadth  given  to 

the  masses  of  colour  and  a  proper 

regard  to  scale  and  proportion,  the 

effect  is  not  always  incongruous. 

Among    the    gardens    where    originality    has    been 

shown  in  the  rearrangement  of  quaint  old  features,  that 


FOUNTAINS  AT  BROCKENHURST  AND  ASCOTT. 


MODERN   GARDENS  289 

at  Old  Place,  Lingfield,  is  an  interesting  example.     It  owpiace, 

Lingfield. 

is  not  exactly  a  Tudor  garden,  though  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  a  well-restored  Tudor  manor-house.  The 
most  conspicuous  ornament  of  the  pleasaunce  is  the 
curious  sun-dial  shown  in  the  illustration,  —  a  high  col- 
umn surmounted  by  a  square  block,  on  top  of  which  a 
pelican  is  feeding  its  young.  The  various  parts  of  the 
garden  are  well  distributed  in  relation  to  the  house, 
and  skilfully  accented  by  topiary  work  and  appropriate 
architecture. 

The    Elizabethan    style    has   been   frequently   repro-  Elizabethan 

rcproduc- 

duced,   as   in  the   gardens  at   Arley,  at   Camprey  Ash  tions. 
and    Muntham.      In  many    ways  it  is  most  in   accord- 
ance with  modern  taste  and  worthy  of  imitation. 

The  gardens  at  Brockenhurst  are  beautiful  examples  Brocken- 
showing  French  influence.  Nothing  better  can  be 
imagined  than  the  treatment  there  of  yew  and  holly 
hedges,  serving  to  enclose  the  gardens  and  to  form  a 
background  for  the  statuary  and  fountains.  The  green 
courts  are  independent  of  flowers  for  their  beauty,  which 
is  retained  throughout  the  year.  One  of  these  courts  is 
intended  to  serve  for  a  bowling-green;  here  a  curious 
seat  is  placed  at  the  base  of  a  flowering  tree.  Several 
pictures  are  included  to  furnish  an  idea  of  the  good  taste 
evinced  in  the  design  of  the  archways  and  the  position 
and  proportions  of  the  alleys,  statuary,  and  fountains. 

At    Sedgwick    Park,   near    Horsham,   is   a   charming 


2QO 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


Sedgwick 
Park. 


Barrow 
Court. 


garden  showing  considerable  originality.  Its  maker 
had  travelled  widely  and  found  inspiration  in  many 
French  and  Italian  gardens,  but  the  features  she  bor- 
rowed from  them  were  adapted  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  her  garden  a  distinctive  character.  A  pretty  and 
unusual  enclosure  contains  an  oblong  tank  of  water, 
so  arranged  that  it  can  be  used  for  a  swimming-pool. 
Beside  the  water  is  an  alcove  in  the  wall  retaining 
the  terrace  above,  which  forms  a  pleasant  substitute 
for  a  grotto. 

Some  interesting  gardens  have  been  rearranged  and 
supplemented  by  others,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  F. 

Inigo  Thomas,  at 
Barrow  Court.  The 
alterations  and  addi- 
tions were  executed 
about  the  year  1892. 
Originally  beside  the 
old  house  there  was 
a  terrace,  and  beneath 
it  a  formal  garden  surrounded  by  yew  hedges  and 
enclosing  a  pond :  these  were  slightly  modified  by  Mr. 
Thomas. 

The  new  work  was  accomplished  in  the  park  beyond 
the  first  garden.  A  wide  strip  of  ground  running  east 
and  west  was  levelled,  leaving  a  high  bank  below  the 
flower-garden  with  a  drop  of  some  six  feet  into  the 


NORTH   CARDKN-.BAKKOW  COURT 


MODERN   GARDENS 


291 


park,  and  was  walled  and  balustraded  with  stone.  This 
excavation  formed  a  terrace  at  the  northern  edge  of 
the  flower-garden.  At  each 
end  were  erected  "sun- 
traps,"  walled  enclosures  dif- 
fering in  detail  and  decked 
out  with  a  cloister  and 
seats  for  garden  tea.  One 
of  these  smaller  pavilions  is 
shown  in  the  illustration. 

The  arrangement  of  the  tennis  lawns  is  especially 
striking.  They  are  divided  from  the  park  by  a  tall 
iron  fence,  supported  at  intervals  by  terminal  figures 
rising  from  a  semicircular  bastion. 
In  the  centre  are  wrought-iron 
gates,  with  piers  and  vases  flanked 
.  on  either  hand  by  winged  lions. 
The  terminal  figures  are  twelve  in 
number  and  represent  the  months 
of  the  year,  beginning  with  a  child 
for  January  and  moving  round  with 
the  sun  through  advancing  stages  to  an  old  woman 
for  December. 

Groves,  cricket-grounds,  etc.,  have  been  planned  to 
occupy  a  space  beyond  the  boundary  walls,  but  have 
not  as  yet  been  carried  out.  The  whole  scheme 
would  repay  careful  study. 


292 


ENGLISH    PLEASURE   GARDENS 


The 
Orchards. 


Miss 

Jekyll's 

garden. 


Requisites 
for  all 
garden- 


One  of  the  best  of  the  more  simply  planned  gardens 
is  at  the  Orchards,  near  Godalming.  The  fountain,  in 
the  centre  of  the  main  garden,  surrounded  by  festoons 
of  roses,  is  good  and  original  in  design.  Upright  posts 
supporting  chains  for  other  garlands  add  to  the  composi- 
tion by  furnishing  vertical  lines,  in  contrast  to  the  long 
horizontal  contours  of  the  low-lying  hills,  seen  above  the 
wall  in  the  distance. 

Miss  Jekyll's  garden,  also  near  Godalming,  contains 
the  elements  of  both  naturalistic  and  conventional 
gardens.  The  arrangement  is 
very  simple,  and  largely  de- 
pends for  its  beauty  upon  vari- 
ous delightful  colour  schemes. 
It  is  seldom  that  both  wild  and 
cultivated  flowers  have  been 
grouped  more  successfully. 

It  is  impossible  to  attempt 
to  enumerate  all  the  beauti- 
ful gardens  in  various  styles,  which  have  been  laid  out 
during  the  last  few  years.  From  the  largest  to  the 
smallest,  from  the  stiffest  to  the  most  unconventional, 
they  go  to  prove  that,  just  as  there  are  beautiful  shades 
of  every  colour,  so  any  kind  of  garden  may  be  made 
beautiful  if  its  construction  displays  a  knowledge  of  the 
principles  underlying  its  particular  fashion  and  if  it  is 
tended  by  loving  hands.  No  wild  garden  can  be  made 


s        THE 


-  LONGPORP    CA-ST1LE   -  WILTS 
EAHJL    OF 


MODERN    GARDENS 


293 


successful  unless  its  designer  has  analyzed  the  character- 
istic aspects  of  nature,  no  romantic  garden  by  one  who 
lacks  an  appreciation  of  the  picturesque,  while  to  perfect 
the  conventional  enclosure  a  sense  of  scale  and  pro- 
portion, involving  at  least  a  rudimentary  knowledge  of 
architecture,  is  equally  essential.  Finally,  a  love  of 
flowers  is  the  natural  foundation  on  which  to  build  all 
gardens,  whether  formal  or  informal. 


WOODEN   5EAT-..SH-RVBLANDS/ 


APPENDIX 

ANGLO-SAXON  HORTICULTURE 

BEFORE  the  Norman  Conquest  the  Anglo-Saxons 
showed  a  fondness  for  nature,  although  they  had  little 
opportunity  to  cultivate  it.  Appreciations  of  the  beauty 
of  the  changing  seasons  and  of  the  fragrance  of  the 
flowers  were  frequently  expressed,  as  in  the  following 
verses :  — 

Swecca  swetast  Of  odours  sweetest 

swylce  on  sumeres  tid  such  as  in  summer's  tide 

stinca<5  on  stowum  fragrance  send  forth  in  places 

stappelum  faeste  fast  in  their  stations 

wynnum  osfter  wongum  joyously  o'er  the  plains 

wyrta  geblowene  blown  plants 

hunig-flowende.  honey-flowing. 

—  "  Exeter  Book,"  p.  178. 

Fseger  fugla  reord  Sweet  was  the  song  of  the  birds 

folde  geblowen  the  earth  was  covered  with  flowers 

geacas  gear  budon.  cuckoos  announced  the  year. 

—  "  Exeter  Book,"  p.  146. 

But  except  what  they  learned  from  the  monks  their 
knowledge  of  horticulture  must  have  been  very  slight, 
and  apart  from  the  monasteries  the  enclosures  where 
they  grew  plants  must  have  been  of  the  simplest 

295 


296 


APPENDIX 


description.  That  these  plants  were  grown  in  enclosures 
is  evident  from  the  derivation  of  the  words  wyrt-tun 
and  wyrt-geard  applied  to  what  might  perhaps  be 
dignified  as  a  garden.  Little  more  of  these  gardens 
is  known,  however,  than  the  names  of  the  plants  to  be 
gleaned  from  early  herbaries.  A  few  of  these  names 
are  in  pure  Anglo-Saxon,  but  the  majority  are  of  Latin 
origin.  The  "  Herbarium  "  of  Apuleius,  written  in  the 
fourth  century,  was  translated  into  Anglo-Saxon,  and 
was  probably  considered  as  an  authority  about  plant-lore. 
Anglo-Saxon  Among  vegetables  the  best  known  seems  to  have 
vegetables,  been  the  leek,  as  an  enclosure  for  pot-herbs  came  to 
be  ordinarily  called  the  leac-tun,  and  a  kitchen  gardener 
as  the  leac  weard  or  leek  keeper.  The  other  alliaceous 
plants,  we  are  told,  were  considered  as  so  many  varieties 
of  leek  and  were  designated  by  such  names  as  eune-leak 
or  yune-leac,  supposed  to  be  the  onion,  and  gar-leac 
for  garlic.  Bean  and  cress  are  also  Anglo-Saxon 
words,  but  cabbage,  peas,  turnip,  radish,  parsley,  mint, 
sage,  rue,  and  other  herbs,  although  in  use,  passed  by 
Latin  names. 

Long  lists  of  flowering  plants  might  be  appended 
from  Anglo-Saxon  writings.  But  as  they  are  difficult 
to  identify,  and  probably  many  of  them  grew  only  wild 
or  were  prized  merely  for  medicinal  qualities,  they  may 
have  had  no  connection  with  a  garden  and  do  not 
help  us  to  imagine  its  appearance.  For  the  cultivated 


Flowering 
plants. 


APPENDIX  297 

rose  and  lily,  they  adopted  the  Roman  names  rose  and 
lilie ;  the  latter  appears  to  have  been  their  favourite 
flower.  Among  other  plants  which  apparently  were 
grown  in  beds  were  suthern-wude  (southernwood),  the 
turn-sole  (sun-flower)  also  called  sigel-hwerfe  (the  gem- 
turned)  or  solseace  (from  the  Latin  solsequium],  the 
clce/re  (violet),  the  periwinkle  (from  the  Latin  pervinca), — 
the  hunig-suckle  (honeysuckle),  the  peony  (from  the 
Latin  pionia),  the  d&ges-eye  (daisy),  and  the  laur-beam, 
more  likely  to  have  been  the  bay  tree  than  the  laurel. 

The  principal  enclosure  seems  to  have  been  dominated  Anglo-Saxon 

fruits . 

by  fruit  trees,  hence  the  origin  of  the  words  ort-geard, 
ovc-geard,  and  orcyrd.  The  apple  was  the  chief  fruit 
of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  and  known  by  the  Anglo-Saxon 
name  ceppel.  The  apple  tree  was  called  an  apulder,  and 
was  divided  into  two  species,  —  the  surmelst  apiilder 
or  souring  apple  tree,  and  the  swite  apulder  or  sweeting 
apple  tree.  An  apple  orchard  was  an  apulder-tun,  and 
from  the  fruit  was  pressed  ceppel-win  or  cider.  Cherries 
(cyrs-treow  or  ciris-beam  from  the  Latin  cerasus)  were 
also  favourite  trees,  and  the  enclosure  especially  in- 
tended for  them  was  called  the  cherry-geard.  The 
pear  (as  its  names  pera  and  piriga  from  the  Latin  pirus, 
imply)  was  probably  received  from  the  Romans,  as 
were  the  peach  (persoc-treow  from  persicarius],  the 
mulberry  (mor-beam  from  morus\  the  chestnut  (cysten, 
cyst  or  cystel-beam  from  castanea),  and  perhaps  the 


298 


APPENDIX 


almond  (magdala-treow  from  amygdalus\  the  fig  (Jic- 
beam  from  ficus),  and  the  pine  (pin-treow  from  pinus). 
The  small  kernels  of  the  pine  were  used  as  relishes 
much  as  we  eat  olives.  The  plum  has  not  changed 
its  original  Anglo-Saxon  name,  and  the  nut  (hnuter) 
is  nearly  the  same.  Strawberries  and  raspberries  (strea- 
berige  and  hynd-beriges)  were  also  well  known  to  the 
Anglo-Saxons,  although  perhaps  only  in  their  wild 
state.  The  vine  was  often  cultivated  and  called  the 
win-treow  or  wine  tree,  its  fruit  win-berige  or  wine- 
berries,  and  a  bunch  of  grapes,  ge-clystre  or  a  cluster.1 

1  Wright,  "  History  of  Domestic  Manners." 


APPENDIX 

FORECOURT,  HAM  HOUSE 


299 


THE  FORECOURT 

KArt  HOUSE  *  RICHMOND 

EARJ.  OF  DYSAHJ 


This  forecourt  is  good  in  scale  and  in  the  proportion 
of  its  details.  The  driveway  is  paved  with  large  stone 
flags,  and  there  are  leaden  busts  in  the  niches  of  the  wall 
which  are  in  pleasing  contrast  to  the  rich  red  brick.  A 
number  of  plans  for  forecourts  are  shown  in  Blomfield's 
"  Formal  Garden  in  England." 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


WORKS  REFERRING  TO  GARDENS 


1.  CLASSIC 

2.  MEDIAEVAL 


3.  FRENCH 

4.  ITALIAN 

5.  DUTCH 


6.  ENGLISH 

7.  MISCELLANEOUS 


CLASSIC 
Arnold,  B. 

De    Graecis    florum    et    arborum 
amantissimis .    Gottingen,  1885. 
Bar  nab  ei,  Felice. 

La  Villa  Pompeiana  di  P.  Fannio 
Sinistore  Scoperto  presso  Bo- 
scoreale.     Rome,  1901. 
Bottiger,  C.  A. 

Racemazionen  zur  Gartenkunst  der 

Alten. 
Browne,  Sir  Thomas. 

The  Garden  of  Cyrus.     1658. 
Castell,  R. 

Villas  of  the  Ancients.     1728. 
Cato,  M.  Porcius. 

De  Re  Rustica.     c.  200  B.C. 
Cicero,  M.  Tullius. 

De  Senectute.     c.  ist  century  B.C. 
Columella. 

De   Re    Rustica:     Scriptores   Rei 

Rusticae.     Leipsic,  1794. 
Comes,  Dr.  Orazio. 

Illustrazione   delle   piante   rappre- 
sentate  nei  dipinti  Pompeiani. 
Naples,  1879. 
Dezobrey. 

Rome  au  siecle  d'Auguste.     1846. 
Diodorus  Siculus. 

Bibliotheca.     c.  50  B.C. 


Falconer. 

Historical  View  of  the  Gardens  of 

Antiquity.     1785. 
Gregorovius  (trans.  A.  M.  F.  Robinson). 

The  Emperor  Hadrian. 
Homer. 

Odyssey,      Done     into     English 
Prose  by  S.   H.   Butcher  and 
A.  Lang. 
Joret,  Charles. 

Les  Jardins  de  1'ancienne  Egypte. 

1894. 
Les  plantes  dans  I'antiquite*  et  au 

moyen  age.     1897. 
La    rose    dans    I'antiquite'    et    au 

moyen  age.     Paris,  1892. 
Koch. 

Die  Baiime  u.  Strauchen  der  Alten 

Griech.     1879. 
Lafaye,  Georges. 

Article  Hortus  in  the  Dictionnaire 
des  antiquite"s  grecques  et  ro- 
maines. 
Magoun,  H.  W. 

Pliny's  Laurentine  Villa,  Transac- 
tions  of  the  American  Philo- 
logical Association.     1895. 
Mangin. 

Histoire    des    jardins    anciens    et 
modernes.    Tours,  1888. 


301 


302 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Jfau-Kelsey. 

Pompeii,   Its  Life  and   Art.      By 
August  Mau.     Translated  into 
English  by  F.  W.  Kelsey.    New 
York,  1899. 
Meyer,  G. 

Lehrbuch    der    Schonen    Garten- 

kunst.     Berlin,  1895. 
Moller. 

Die     Botanik     in     den     Fresken 
der  Villa  der  Livia.     Mittheil. 
d.  k.  arch.  Inst.,  Rom.    Abth. 
1890. 
Morgan,  Thomas. 

Romano-British      Mosaic      Pave- 
ments.    London,  1886. 
Niccolini. 

Le  case  ed  i  monumenti  di  Pom- 
peii disegnati  et  descritti.     Na- 
ples, 1834. 
Palladius.  Rutilius. 

De  Re  Rustica.     4th  or  5th  cen- 
tury A.D. 
Plinius.  Caius  Secundus. 

Natural  History,     ist  century  A.D. 
Pliny  the  Younger. 

Letters,     ist  century  A.D. 
Plutarch. 

Lives,     ist  century,  A.D. 
Seneca. 

Epistolae.     ist  century  A.D. 
Simonis. 

Ueber  die  Gartenkunst  der  Romer. 

Blankenburg,  1865. 
Stengel. 

Hortorum,    Florum     et    Arborum 

Historia.     1650. 
Tacitus. 

Annals,     ist  century  A.D. 
Temple,  Sir  William. 

Miscellanea :  Upon  the  Garden  of 

Epicurus.     1685. 
Theocritus. 

Idylls.    3d  century  B.C. 


Theophrastus. 

History  and  Causes  of  Plants.    4th 

century  B.C. 
Varro,  M.  Terentius. 

De  Re  Rustica.     c.  ist  century  B.C. 
Virgil. 

Georgics. 
Wantig,  R. 

Haine  u.  Garten  in  Gr.  Alt.  pr.  v. 

Chemnity.     1893. 
Xenophon. 

(Economicus.     c.  5th  century  B.C. 

MEDIAEVAL 
Albert  the  Great. 

De    Plantatione   Viridariorumque. 
De  Naturis  Reris.   Ed.  Thomas 
Wright,  London,  1863. 
Chaucer,  G. 
Poems. 
De  Beauvais,  Vincent. 

Speculum. 
De  Garlande,  Jean. 

Le   Menagier   de   Paris,   compose" 
vers    1393    par    un    bourgeois 
parisien. 
Delisle,  Leopold. 

Etudes  sur  la  condition  de  la  agri- 
cole  et  l^tat  de  Tagriculture  en 
Normandie    au     moyen     age. 
Evreux,  1851. 
De  Loris,  Guillaume. 

Roman  de  la  Rose.     c.  1200. 
De  Ornatu  Mundi. 

Ope"ra  ed.  de  Beaugendre.  c.  1189. 
Du  Cerceau.  Androuet. 

Les  plus  excellents  bastiments  de 

France.     1576. 
Dugdale. 

Monasticon. 
Gautier,  Leon. 

La  Chevalerie.     Paris,  1895. 
Lacroix.  Paul. 

Moeurs,   Usages,   et    Costume    au 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


303 


Moyen  Age  et  k  1'Epoque  de 
la  Renaissance.     Paris,  1872. 
Mackenzie,  Sir  James  D. 

The  Castles   of  England.       New 

York,  1896. 
Turner,  T.  H. 

State  of  Horticulture  in  England. 

Arch.  Journal,  Vol.  5. 
Walcott. 

Church  and  Conventual  Arrange- 
ment. 
Walter. 

Recueil  de  fleurs,  fruits,  etc.,  peints 
sur  velin  par  Jean  Walter  de 
Strasbourg,  de  1656  a  1665. 
(Bibliotheque  Nationale  Cabi- 
net des  Estampes.) 

ITALIAN 

Colonna,  Fra  Francesco. 

Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili.     Ven- 
ice, 1499. 
Falda. 

Giardini  di  Roma. 
Montaigne,  Michel  de. 

Journal  du  voyage  de  Michel 
de  Montaigne  en  Italic  par 
la  Suisse  et  rAllemagne  en 
1580  et  1581.  Rome  et  Paris, 

I774- 
Percier  et  Fontaine. 

Choix  des  plus  celebres  Maisons 
de  Plaisance  de   Rome   et  de 
ses  environs.    75  plates.    Paris, 
1809. 
Piranesi. 

Vedute  di  Roma.     1765. 
Platt,  Charles  A. 

Italian  Gardens.     1894. 
Silvestro,  Israeli. 

Alcune  vedute  di  Giardini  e  Fon- 
tane  di  Roma  e  di  Tivoli. 
Paris,  1646. 


Taine,  H. 

Voyage  en  Italic.     Paris,  1884. 
Vitruvius,  Pollio  M. 

Architectura.     Utini,  1825-1830. 

DUTCH 
Beudeker. 

Germania  Inferior. 
Commelyn. 

Hortus  Amstelodamus.     1697. 
De  Hogue,  Romeyn. 

Villa  Angiana. 
Hoghenberg. 

Hortorum    .    .    .    forrnae.       Kb'ln, 

1665. 
Rademaker,  A. 

Holland's  Arcadia.     1730. 
Van  der  Groen,  J. 

Le  Jardinier  des  Pays  Bas.     1672. 
Van  Oesten. 

The  Dutch  Gardener.     1703. 
Vredeman  de  Vries,  J. 

Hortorum  Viridariorumque  Ele- 
gantes et  Multiplicis  Formae. 
Antwerp,  1583. 

FRENCH 
Alphand. 

Les  promenades  de  Paris.    Paris, 

1868. 
Andr6,  E. 

L'Art  des  Jardins.     Paris,  1879. 
Blondel,  J.  F. 

De  la  Distribution  des  Maisons  de 
Plaisance.     160  plates.     Paris, 
1737-1738. 
De  Serres,  Olivier. 

Le  Theatre  d' Agriculture  et  mes- 
nage  des  Champs.    Paris,  1603. 
Dezallier  d'Argenville,  A.  J. 

La  The'orie  et  la  Pratique  du  Jar- 

dinage.     Paris,  1713. 
Francois,  Jean. 

L'Art  des  Fontaines.     1665. 


304 


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Galimard,  fils. 

Architecture  de  Jardins.    68  plates, 

folio,  1765. 
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pleasant  flowers  .  .  .  with  a 
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A  garden  of  Flowers  translated  out 
of  the  Netherlandish .     Utrecht, 
1615.      2   parts   oblong.      4to. 
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Florass  Paradise.     London,  1608. 
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A  Letter  to  H.  Repton,  Esq.,  on 
the  application  of  the  practice  as 
well  as  the  principles  of  Land- 
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An  Essay  on  the  Picturesque  as 
compared  with  the  sublime  and 
beautiful,  etc.     London,  1794- 
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A  Letter  to  Uvedale  Price,  Esq., 
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Observations  on  the  Theory  and 
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An  Enquiry  into  the  changes  in 
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Robinson,  William. 

The  English  Flower  Garden.   Lon- 
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1879. 

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England  as  seen  by  Foreigners  in 
the    Days    of    Elizabeth    and 
James  I.     London,  1865. 
Scott,  Sir  Walter. 

On   Ornamental    Plantations    and 
Landscape  Gardening.     Quar- 
terly Review.     1828. 
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1899. 
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1746. 
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The  Nobleman,    Gentleman,   and 
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Scotland.     London,  1902. 
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Systema      Horticultural,     or     the 
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1677. 
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London.  1624.     4to. 
Wright,  Thomas. 

A  History  of  Domestic  Manners 
and  Sentiments  in  England. 
London,  1862. 

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Grotto,  etc.     1745. 
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China's  Gardens  at  Pekin.  By 
J.  D.  Attiret.  Translated  by 
Sir  H.  Beaumont,  i.e.  ].  Spence. 
London,  1752. 
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Conder,  J. 

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B.  T.  Batsford,  1896. 


INDEX 


[Numbers  in  heavy-faced  type  indicate  references  to  illustrations.] 


Abbeys,  twelfth-century  English,  49-51, 
57-58. 

Abelard,  complaint  of  Heloise  to,  con- 
cerning nuns  as  gardeners,  48. 

Akadamion,  park  in  the,  16. 

Albert  the  Great,  description  of  mediaeval 
orchard  by,  96-97. 

Albury,   grotto  at,    designed   by    Evelyn, 

254. 
Alcinous,  garden  of,  Homeric  description 

of,  13-14;  Pliny  quoted  concerning,  17. 
Alcove  at  Arley,  188. 
"Alexander,  Romance    of,"  garden   with 

chess-players  from  the,  82. 
Alhambra,  the,  fountains  in,  53,  237. 
Alley,  a  pleached,  Hatfield,  117. 
Alleys  in  Elizabethan  gardens,   143-144. 

See  Walks. 

Alpine  gardens,  279-280. 
Althorpe,  Evelyn's  mention  of  gardens  at, 

195- 

Alviella,  Count  Goblet  d',  quoted,  6. 

Amboise,  Cardinal  d',  garden  of,  98-99. 

Ambulationes  in  classic  gardens,  36. 

America,  influence  of  discovery  of,  on 
English  horticulture,  132-133. 

Amorini,  Wilton,  242,  243. 

Animals,  in  gardens,  33-34,  72,95;  carved, 
in  Tudor  period,  118,  129;  of  lead  in 
Labyrinth  at  Versailles,  206. 

Annesley,  specimen  of  brick  garden  wall 
at,  187-188;  seventeenth -century  ter- 
races at,  197;  terrace  walk  at,  283. 

Apiaries  in  classic  gardens,  33-34. 

Apostles,  the  twelve,  in  topiary  work,  153, 
154- 

Apple,  the,  in  Bacon's  succession  of  plants, 
151;  chief  Anglo-Saxon  fruit,  297. 

Apuleius,  the  "  Herbarium  "  of,  296. 

Aquarius,  the,  in  classic  Roman  villa,  38. 


Arbour,  seat,  gallery,  and,  92;  from  the 
"  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili,"  234. 

Arbours,  in  mediaeval  gardens,  92;  in  Tu- 
dor period,  105,  116,  123-124;  in 
Elizabethan  gardens,  145;  Dutch,  188, 
250,  251. 

"Arcadia,"  Sidney's,  128,  156-157. 

Archery.     See  Games. 

Architects,  effective  work  of,  in  classic 
gardens,  28-29;  the  theory  of  modern 
garden,  282-284. 

Architecture  of  the  Normans,  68. 

Archway,  at  Castle  Ashby,  245 ;  of  yew  at 
Brockenhurst,  287. 

Ariadne,  story  of,  reproduced  on  a  mosaic 
pavement,  5. 

Arley,  buttress  of  clipped  yew  at,  154; 
an  alcove  at,  188;  reproduction  of 
Elizabethan  style  at,  289. 

Arran,  Earl  of,  received  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth in  garden  at  Hampton  Court, 
161-162. 

Art,  Roman,  Greece  as  the  source  of  new 
forms  of,  5. 

"Arte  of  Gardening,"  Hill's,  129. 

Artichoke  garden,  Wimbledon,  173,  174. 

Ascott,  topiary  work  at,  154,  285. 

Ashridge,  outlines  of  cloisters  at,  65; 
gardens  at,  a  specimen  of  Repton's 
style,  269. 

Assassin,  origin  of  the  word,  73. 

Asshur-bani-pal  feasting,  representation 
of,  on  marble  slab,  1,  II. 

Assyria,  gardens  of,  9. 

Athens,  gardens  in  ancient,  15-16. 

Atrium,  Roman,  difference  between  Gre- 
cian peristyle  and,  20;  resemblance  of 
cloister-garth  to,  51. 

Attiret,  Pere,  "Account  of  the  Emperor 
of  China's  Gardens  near  Pekin"  by, 
260-261. 


309 


3io 


INDEX 


Austria,    English   landscape   gardens   in, 

276. 
Aviaries,     in    classic     gardens,     33-34 ; 

twelfth-century,  72  ;   in  Stuart  period, 

175  ;   in  Chinese  gardens,  264. 
Axe  of  Lycurgus  in  design  of  a  mosaic 

pavement,  5. 

B 

Babylon,  Hanging  Gardens  of,  II. 

Bacon,  Francis,  suggestions  of,  for  succes- 
sion of  plants,  150-153  ;  contempt  of, 
for  images  cut  in  evergreens,  154;  on 
bathing  pools,  156;  on  statuary  in 
gardens,  157;  account  of  the  wilder- 
ness by,  158-159. 

Badminton,  grounds  at,  212. 

Bagatelle,  tomb  of  a  Pharaoh  at,  274. 

Bagnaja,  the  Villa  Lante  at,  234,  238-239. 

Balustrading,  as  enclosure  for  Elizabethan 
gardens,  139—140,  141 ;  modern  Eng- 
lish specimens  of,  284. 

Banquet,  Asshur-bani-pal's,  representation 
of,  on  marble  slab,  1,  II. 

Banqueting  house,  the,  in  gardens,  116; 
the  Elizabethan,  145  ;  at  Wimbledon, 
176-177;  at  Drayton,  197. 

Barbazon,  editor  "  Lai  d'Aristote,"  84. 

Barocco  period,  the,  in  Italy,  235,  240. 

Karrow  Court,  pond  in  North  Garden  at, 
290 ;  pavilion  at,  291 ;  gateway  and 
terrace  at,  291. 

Barry,  Sir  Charles,  mansions  designed  by, 
246. 

Bath-houses,  idea  of,  imported  into  Eng- 
land from  Palestine,  75. 

Bathing  pools  in  Elizabethan  gardens, 
156. 

Batsford  Park,  gardens  at,  280. 

Battle  Abbey,  founding  of,  57—58  ;  terrace 
walk  at,  283. 

Baynardes  Castle,  royal  gardens  at,  106. 

Beasts,  carved,  in  Tudor  gardens,  118; 
heraldic,  at  entrances  to  Elizabethan 
gardens,  129,  141.  See  Animals. 

Beaudesart,  restoration  of  garden  at,  by 
Repton,  269. 

Beaumont,  John,  208 ;  work  of,  at  Levens 
and  Hampton  Court,  211. 

Becket,  Thomas  a,  Fitzstephen's  Life  of, 
quoted,  80. 


Beckett,  fishing-lodge  at,  169. 
Beckington,  example  of  garden-house  at, 

191. 

Belceil,  Prince  de  Ligne's  estate  of,  270. 
Benedictines,  era  of  the,  45-47,  49-50. 
Berkeley  Castle,  70. 

Bird-cage,  at  Wimbledon,  175;   at  Mel- 
bourne, 210,  211. 
Birds,  in  classic  pleasure  grounds,  33-34 ; 

in    twelfth-century    gardens,    72 ;    in 

gardens  of  the    Stuart   period,    175; 

in  Chinese  gardens,  264. 
Black  -Friars,  the,  61. 
Blenheim,  Brown's  work  shown  in  gardens 

at,  268. 

Blith,  Walter,  167. 
Blois,  castle  gardens  at,  98. 
Blomfield,  R.,  282,  299. 
Blondel,   J.   F.,  "  Profils  et  ornements," 

etc.,  of,  207. 
Boboli  Gardens,  the,  239. 
Bog  gardens,  280-281. 
Borde,  Andrew,  works  on  gardening  by, 

108-109;   quoted,  no-ill,  112,  119. 
Borders,  garden,  225-226. 
Boscoreale,  villa  rustica  at,  21  ;    grotto 

and  pergola  from  a  wall-painting  at, 

32. 

Bosquets  at  Versailles,  159,  205-206. 
Botanical  gardens,  herbaria  the  beginnings 

of,  80;   at  Oxford,  170  ;   at  Kew,  268, 

281. 
Botany,  study  of,    in   James    I's   period, 

168-169. 

Boughton,  grounds  at,  212. 
Bower,  Rosamond's,  82,  94. 
Bowers  in  English  gardens  (thirteenth 

century),  92. 
Bowling,    popularity    of,    in    seventeenth 

century,  194.     See  Games. 
Bowling-alley,  Brockenhurst,  167. 
Bowling-green,  at  Berkeley  Castle,  70  ;   at 

Bramshill,   141  ;    at   Norton   Conyers 

and  Levens,  194. 
Bowling-greens,    modern    English,    141, 

287-288;    in  Stuart  period,  194;   Le 

Blond's  advice  about,  220. 
Bowood,  fountain  at,  192  ;   terrace  at,  246. 
Box,  use  of,  in  classic  gardens,  23,  35,  36, 

39,  41-42  ;   in  Tudor  gardens,  125;  in 

Elizabethan  gardens,  145,  147,  149  ; 


INDEX 


sun-dial  planted  in,  193  ;  for  elaborate 
topiary  work,  285. 

Boy  with  dolphin,  statue  of,  for  fountain, 
234. 

Bradford-on-Avon,  the  Hall  at,  lion  of 
carved  stone  at,  129  ;  the  terrace  of, 
141 ;  octagonal  garden-house  at,  190. 

Bramham,  garden  at,  attributed  to  Le 
Notre,  208 ;  finest  specimen  of  French 
style  in  England,  210. 

Bramshill,  doorway  at,  140;  the  terrace 
at,  141,  142  ;  octagonal  garden-house 
at,  190,  191  ;  bowling-green  at,  288. 

Brickwall,  pool  for  fish  at,  119;  raised 
walk  at,  139. 

Bridge,  Palladian,  at  Wilton,  244. 

Bridgnorth,  terrace  walk  at,  70-71. 

Britain,  horticulture  in,  after  conquest  of 
Claudius,  2-3 ;  disappearance  of  Ro- 
man culture  from,  45.  See  England. 

"  Britannia  Illustrata,"  view  of  Hampton 
Court  in,  209 ;  gardens  in  French  style 
shown  in,  211-212. 

British  Museum,  Britanno-Roman  relics 
in,  3  ;  Egyptian  mural  painting  in, 
8-9;  marble  slabs  with  representations 
of  paradeisoi  in,  10-11  ;  classic  sun- 
dial in,  17  ;  Ms.  of  the  "  Roman  de  la 
Rose "  in,  69  ;  fourteenth-century 
Flemish  Ms.  in,  86. 

Brockenhurst,  bowling-alley  at,  167;  arch- 
way of  yew  at,  287 ;  an  example  of 
French  influence,  289. 

Broek,  account  of,  by  De  Amicis,  253-254. 

Brome  Hall,  grounds  at,  212. 

Brown,  "Capability,"  122,  258;  speci- 
mens of  work  of,  268-269. 

Brympton,  terrace  at,  179,  197  ;  sun-dial 
at,  197;  example  of  stone  balustrade 
at,  284. 

Buckingham,  Stafford,  Duke  of,  residence 
of,  Thornbury,  103. 

Burghley,  Brown's  work  shown  in  gardens 
at,  268. 

Burleigh,  Lord,  Queen  Elizabeth  enter- 
tained at  Theobalds  by,  163. 

Bust,  a  Pompeiian,  25. 

Busts,  leaden,  at  Elvaston,  228  ;  at  Ham 
House,  299. 

Butcher,  S.  H.,  quotation  from  translation 
of  "Odyssey  "  by,  13-14. 


Buttress  of  clipped  yew,  Arley,  154. 
Byron,  Lord,  and  Newstead  Abbey,  61, 
62,  267. 


Cambridge,  fountain  at  Trinity  College, 
155;  doorway  at,  236. 

Campo  Santo,  frescoes  on  walls  of  the,  54. 

Camprey  Ash,  reproduction  of  Elizabethan 
style  at,  289. 

Canons  Ashby,  garden  doorway  at,  104; 
lead  statue  of  a  shepherd  at,  182;  a 
garden-seat  at,  189,  190. 

Canterbury,  twelfth-century  plan  of,  51. 

Caprarola,  the  Villa  Farnese  at,  234,  238. 

Carlisle,  Castle,  70. 

Carmontelle,  theatric  theory  of,  274. 

Carthusians,  order  of  the,  6o-6l. 

Caryatides  at  the  Villa  Farnese,  238. 

Casa  Nuova,  the,  at  Pompeii,  25-26. 

Casino,  the,  in  classic  villas,  29-30. 

Cassiobury,  grounds  at,  195,  212. 

Castle  Ashby,  gateway  at,  240;  archway 
at,  245 ;  vase  at,  246 ;  rosary  with  per- 
gola at,  246;  Italian  influence  shown 
at,  246-247;  rustic  pergola  at,  247; 
Brown's  treatment  of  water  at,  269; 
garden-house  at,  292. 

Castle,  portrayal  of  a  Norman,  in  the 
"  Roman  de  la  Rose,"  69;  Berkeley, 
70;  expansion  of  grounds  of  Anglo- 
Norman,  77-78;  superseded  by  private 
dwellings,  101-102. 

Castlemain,  Lady,  175. 

Cato,  Marcus  Porcius,  17,  19,  167;  quota- 
tions from,  in  early  English  works  on 
gardening,  129. 

Caux,  Isaac  de,  work  of,  at  Wilton,  240- 

243- 

Cavendish,  description  of  Cardinal  Wol- 
sey's  gardens  by,  105. 

Cerceau,  Androuet  du,  description  of  last 
mediaeval  gardens  by,  98. 

Certosa,  Florence,  a  well  in  the,  55. 

Chabas,  Fran?ois,  extract  from  translation 
by,  9. 

Chambers,  Sir  William,  "  Dissertations  on 
Oriental  Gardening  "  by,  quoted,  261- 
264;  temples  in  Royal  Botanical  Gar- 
dens at  Kew  designed  by,  268. 

Chansons  de  Gestes,  83. 


312 


INDEX 


"  Chanson  de  Roland,"  quoted,  67. 
Chantilly,  an   example  of  rusticity,  274- 

275- 

Charing,  royal  gardens  at,  79. 

Charlemagne,  gardens  of,  66-67. 

Charles  II  of  England,  French  influence 
on,  208. 

Charleston  manor-house,  forecourt  at, 
136. 

Charlton,  example  of  garden-house  at, 
191. 

Chatsworth,  garden  at,  attributed  to  Le 
Notre,  208. 

Chaucer,  quotations  from,  illustrative  of 
thirteenth-century  English  life,  83-96. 

Cherries,  favourite  fruit  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  297. 

Chess-players,  garden  with,  from  "Ro- 
mance of  Alexander,"  82. 

Chichester,  gateway  at,  186. 

Chilham  Castle,  bowling-green  at,  288. 

Chinese,  influence  of,  on  English  garden- 
ing, 250,  259-266. 

Chipping  Camden,  garden-house  at,  146. 

"  Chorle  and  the  Birde,"  Lydgate's,  81,  89. 

"Chronicles,"  Holinshed's,  133. 

Cistercians,  horticulture  in  England  ad- 
vanced by,  58-59. 

Cisterns  in  Tudor  gardens,  119. 

Clairvaux,  Cistercian  monastery  at,  59-60. 

Clarendon,  royal  gardens  at,  79. 

Clarissa's  Walk,  Penshurst,  100. 

Claverton  Manor,  example  of  balustrading 
at,  140,  284. 

Cleeve  Prior  Manor,  the  Twelve  Apostles 
in  topiary  work  at,  153,  154. 

Cleveland,  Duchess  of,  gardens  of,  58. 

Cloisters,  location  of,  52-53;  Elizabethan 
galleries  correspond  to,  145. 

Cloister-garth,  the  monastic,  7,  45,  54,  56; 
resemblance  of,  to  Grecian  peristyle 
and  Roman  atrium,  51. 

Cluny  Museum,  illustrations  from  tapes- 
tries in,  75,  90. 

Cokes,  the,  owners  of  Melbourne,  210. 

Colonna,  Giovanni,  influence  of,  in  Italian 
gardening,  233,  See  "  Hypneroto- 
machia  Poliphili." 

Columella,  17,  129,  133,  167. 

Column  at  Wilton,  240;  and  sun-dial,  at 
Old  Place,  Lingfield,  288,  289. 


"Compleat  Gardner,"  Evelyn's,  212. 

Conservatories,  Chinese,  264.  See  Green- 
houses. 

Cook,  Captain,  cenotaph  to,  at  Mauper- 
tin,  273. 

Coronet  of  clipped  yew,  116. 

"  Country  Farm."  See  "  Maison  Rus- 
tique." 

"Country  Housewife's  Garden,"  knots 
from,  149;  knot  and  maze  from,  158. 

Court  of  the  Lions,  Alhambra,  fountain 
in,  53. 

Courtyards,  Egyptian  dwellings  built 
around  a  series  of,  6;  in  classic  Ro- 
man houses,  20-21,  24. 

Crete,  labyrinth  of,  suggested  in  a  mosaic 
pavement,  5. 

Croquet-grounds,  287. 

Crusaders,  innovations  due  to,  in  Eng- 
land, 72-73,  75-76. 

Cubicula  in  classic  Roman  villas,  30. 

Cupid,  statues  of,  at  Melbourne,  208,  231. 

Cyrus  the  Younger,  gardens  of,  at  Sardis, 
12;  Pliny  quoted  concerning,  17. 

D 

Daedalus,  house  of,  alternative  name   for 

labyrinth,  72. 
Daffodils,    Syrian,   on    site    of    Horseley 

Castle,  76. 

Dairy,  Gothic,  at  Hoddesdon,  274. 
Damascus,  the  rose  of,  76. 
Danby,  Earl  of,  Oxford  botanical  garden 

founded  by,  170. 

De  Amicis,  on  Dutch  gardens,  253-254. 
Deeping,  Norman  garden  at,  68-69. 
Defoe,   garden    grottoes  mentioned   by, 

254- 

De  Lacey,  Earl  of  Lincoln,  market  gar- 
dens of,  79-80. 

"De  Naturis  Rerum,"  Neckam's,  57; 
Albert  the  Great's,  quoted,  96-97. 

Denton,  W.,  quoted,  79. 

De  Serres,  Olivier,  137,  139,  199. 

Diana's  Pool,  Penshurst,  99,  156. 

"  Dictionarius,"  de  Garlande's,  quoted,  80. 

Diomedes,  villa  of,  near  Pompeii,  26-27. 

"Discourse  of  Husbandrie,"  etc.,  Hart- 
lib's,  171. 

"Dissertations  on  Oriental  Gardening," 
Chambers',  quoted,  261-264. 


INDEX 


313 


Dodoens,  135. 

Dodona,  oak  grove  of,  14. 

Dog,  grave  of  Byron's,  at  Newstead  Ab- 
bey, 62,  267. 

Dominicans,  order  of  the,  61. 

Doorway,  a  battlemented,  103;  garden,  at 
Canons  Ashby,  104;  garden,  at  Risley, 
111;  at  Bramshill,  140;  at  Oundle, 
141;  at  Highlow  Hall,  168;  at  Villa 
Madama,  235;  at  Cambridge,  236; 
at  Shrublands,  277. 

Dove-cotes,  in  Tudor  gardens,  110 ; 
Elizabethan,  136. 

Drayton  House,  pool  for  fish  at,  119; 
sun-dial  at,  170;  wrought-iron  gates 
at,  1 88,  195,  196;  garden-house  at, 
191;  stone  steps  at,  196;  perfect  speci- 
men of  seventeenth-century  garden  at, 
196-197. 

Du  Perac,  199. 

Durand,  Guillaume,  quoted  concerning 
cloisters,  53. 

Dutch,  arbours  in  style  of  the,  188,  250, 
251;  gardens  of  the,  168,  252-254. 

Dwelling,  the  castle  superseded  by  the 
private,  101-102;  relation  of,  to  the 
garden  in  Tudor  period,  109-111,  123; 
relation  of  Elizabethan  flower-gardens 
to,  137-138;  relation  of,  to  garden  in 
Stuart  times,  182-183;  relation  of,  to 
garden,  according  to  Le  Blond,  216- 
217. 

E 

Eagle  Pond  at  Newstead  Abbey,  6l,  62. 

Edward  I  of  England,  idea  of  bath-houses 
imported  from  the  East  by,  75 ;  cul- 
mination of  mediaeval  prosperity  under, 
78-80. 

Egypt,  gardens  in  ancient,  6—9;  idea  of 
labyrinths  may  have  come  from,  42. 

"  Elie  de  St.  Giles,"  chanson  of,  89. 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  at  Hampton  Court,  142- 
143,  161-162;  general  influence  of,  on 
gardens,  162—163. 

Elizabethan  figures,  two,  128. 

Elvaston,  topiary  work  at,  116,  154;  ar- 
millary  sphere  at,  119;  leaden  busts  at, 
228;  a  classic  vase  at,  252. 

Enclosure,  rustic,  classic  picture  of  a,  28; 
of  trelliswork,  90. 

Enclosures  in  Elizabethan  gardens,  147. 


England,  effect  of  advent  of  Normans  on, 
49-51,  57-58,  66;  close  connection  of 
France  and,  in  thirteenth  and  four- 
teenth centuries,  76;  effect  of  dis- 
covery of  America  in,  132-133; 
evidences  of  Dutch  taste  in,  168, 
254;  influence  of  French  in  seven- 
teenth-century gardens  of,  207—208; 
modern  Italian  influence  on  gardens 
of,  240-248;  romanticism  in,  249; 
ideas  imported  from  China  into,  250, 
259-266;  popularity  of  landscape  gar- 
den of,  throughout  Europe,  269—270, 
275-277;  modern  gardens  of,  278-293. 

"England  in  the  Fifteenth  Century," 
Denton's,  quoted,  79. 

English  Dialect  Society,  Tusser's  "  Hun- 
dreth  Good  Pointes"  edited  under 
auspices  of,  109. 

"  English  Flower  Garden,"  Robinson's, 
280. 

Entrances,  to  Elizabethan  gardens,  140— 
141;  Inigo  Jones's,  170;  iron  gateways 
at,  1 88.  See  Gateways. 

Epicurus,  garden  of,  at  Athens,  15. 

Ermenonville,  the  Marquis  de  Girardin's 
gardens  at,  270-273. 

Evans,  Arthur,  on  birds  in  ancient  times,  34. 

Evelyn,  John,  an  authority  on  English 
seventeenth-century  gardens,  167,  171, 
194-196;  translation  of  French  works 
on  gardening  by,  212;  grotto  at  Al- 
bury  designed  by,  254. 

Evergreens,  clipped,  use  of,  in  classic  gar- 
dens, 39-40;  Bacon's  opinion  of,  154. 

Exedra,  sketch  plan  of  a  Greek,  15;  Greek 
derivation  of  the  word,  18;  from  street 
of  the  Tombs,  Pompeii,  32 ;  in  mediae- 
val gardens,  91-92;  at  Wilton,  242, 
245.  See  Seats. 

Exercise,  provision  for,  in  classic  gardens, 
34-36;  Chinese  provision  for,  264. 
See  Games. 

"  Exeter  Book,"  quoted,  295. 

Exotics,  imported  into  England  by  Crusad- 
ers, 75-76;  from  America,  132-133; 
from  Holland,  168-169;  at  the  Oxford 
Botanical  Garden,  170;  in  Stuart  gar- 
dens, 192-193;  in  wild  gardens,  279, 
280. 

Eyam  Hall,  Derbyshire,  102. 


314 


INDEX 


Faun,  a  leaden,  at  Newstead  Abbey.  64. 

Feast,  King  Asshur-bani-pal's,  1,  II. 

Fence,  Hermes  and,  278. 

Fences  for  enclosing  gardens,  mediaeval, 
88;  Tudor,  no;  Elizabethan,  140. 

Fiennes,  Celia,  170,  173,  194. 

Figures,  two  Elizabethan,  128. 

Fishing-lodge,  Beckett,  169. 

Fish-pond,  an  Egyptian,  8;  in  villa  of 
Diomedes,  27. 

Fish-ponds,  Pompeiian,  25;  in  mediaeval 
gardens,  72,  93;  moats  utilized  as, 
105;  in  Tudor  gardens,  119;  in 
Elizabethan  gardens,  156-157;  at 
Swallowfield,  England,  195-196. 

Fitzstephen,  "  Life  of  a  Becket,"  quoted, 
80. 

"Five  Hundred  Points  of  Good  Hus- 
bandry," Tusser's,  quoted,  121. 

"Flora,  Ceres,  and  Pomona,"  Rea's,  182. 

"Floraes  Paradise,"  Platt's,  131,  148. 

Florence,  a  well  in  the  Certosa  at,  55; 
fountain  at  Palazzo  Vqcchio,  233; 
Boboli  gardens  at,  239. 

Flowers,  varieties  of,  most  used  in  ancient 
Italy,  40-41;  Charlemagne's  choice 
of,  66;  for  Elizabethan  gardens,  149- 
153;  banishment  of,  from  Stuart  gar- 
dens, 180-182;  in  modern  English 
gardens,  285.  See  Plants. 

Flower-beds,  plans  of,  in  Tudor  gardens, 
114. 

Flower-pot,  a  classic,  19 ;  gate-post, 
Hampton  Court,  187. 

Forecourt,  the,  in  Elizabethan  gardens, 
136;  examples  of  enclosed,  188;  at 
Ham  House,  232,  299. 

"Formal  Garden  in  England,"  Blom- 
field's,  299. 

Fountain,  a  Pompeiian,  24;  pavilion  and, 
from  the  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poli- 
phili,"  26;  a  Greek,  38;  garden  and, 
from  an  eleventh-century  manuscript, 
46;  in  cloisters  at  Monreale,  near 
Palermo,  52;  Narcissus  at  a  ("  Roman 
de  la  Rose"),  56;  in  Pond  Garden, 
Hampton  Court,  107;  at  Longleat, 
126-127;  at  Trinity  College,  Cam- 
bridge, 155;  at  Hampton  Court,  156, 
192;  at  Bowood,  192;  (initial  letter), 


232;  at  Palazzo  Vecchio,  Florence, 
233 ;  statue  of  boy  with  dolphin  for  a, 
234;  at  Wilton,  243. 

Fountains,  in  Egyptian  gardens,  6-7 ; 
Pompeiian,  25,  38-39;  in  the  Alham- 
bra,  53,  237;  Gothic,  66,  93;  in 
mediaeval  gardens,  93-94;  at  None- 
such, 155;  in  gardens  of  Stuart  period, 
193-194;  at  Versailles,  206-207;  m 
modern  Italian  villa  gardens,  238-239. 

Framlingham,  castle  of,  77. 

France,  development  of  pleasaunce  in,  71 ; 
close  connection  of  England  and,  in 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries, 
76;  fruit  trees  imported  into  England 
from,  97;  the  last  of  the  castle  gar- 
dens in,  98;  influence  of,  on  English 
gardens,  170-171  ;  period  of  ascend- 
ency of,  in  garden  fashions,  198—200; 
admiration  in,  for  English  landscape 
garden,  269-270. 

Franciscans,  order  of  the,  6l. 

Frescoes,  Pompeiian,  25;  on  cloister 
walls,  53-54. 

Friars,  orders  of,  61. 

Fruits,  Anglo-Saxon,  297-298. 

Fruit  trees,  of  French  origin,  97;  in  Tudor 
gardens,  113. 


Gaillon,  garden  of,  98-99. 

Galleries,  wooden,  in  Elizabethan  gardens, 
144-145. 

Gallery,  seat,  arbour,  and,  92. 

Games,  garden,  in  mediaeval  times,  95; 
in  Tudor  period,  119—120;  accommo- 
dations for,  in  modern  English  gardens, 
287.  See  Bowling  and  Tennis. 

Garden,  and  fountain,  46;  with  chess- 
players, 82;  original  significance  of 
the  word,  86-87;  an  oblong,  108;  a 
square,  111;  relation  between  terrace 
and,  142;  design  for  a,  by  Vriedeman 
de  Vries,  144;  relation  of  dwelling  to, 
in  Stuart  times,  182-183. 

"  Garden  of  Epicurus,"  Temple's,  quoted, 
10. 

Garden  court,  a,  128. 

"  Gardener's  Labyrinth,"  Hill's,  109;  illus- 
trations from,  108,  111,  117  ;  descrip- 
tion of  arbours  in,  1 16. 


INDEX 


315 


Garden-house,  at  Wimbledon,   174;    and 

wall  at  The  Orchards,  278;   at  Castle 

Ashby,  292. 
Garden-houses,  at    Packwood,  145,  146, 

193,  194;    octagonal,  at  Bradford-on- 

Avon  and  Bramshill,  190. 
Gardening,  early  English  books  on,  107- 

109. 

Garden  repast,  a,  117. 
Garden  seat,  at    Haddon  Hall,  189;    at 

Canons  Ashby,  189. 
"Garin,  Romance  of,"  quoted,  81,  83. 
Garland-makers  in  a  pleasaunce,  66. 
Garland-weavers  (from  a  Greek  vase),  14. 
Garland  weaving  in  England  (thirteenth 

century),  83-84. 

Garlande,  John  de,  description  of  bour- 
geois garden  by,  80. 
Gate,  wrought-iron,  at   Hampton  Court, 

209. 
Gate-post,  flower-pot,  at  Hampton  Court, 

187. 
Gateway,  garden,  at  Penshurst,  130;    at 

Chichester,  186;   at  Shrublands,  239, 

at    Castle  Ashby,  240;     and   terrace, 

Barrow  Court,  291. 

Gateways,  at  Packwood,  131, 187;  intro- 
duction of,  in  Stuart  period,  188;   at 

Drayton,  195,  196,  197;  at  Kew,  197, 

212;  by  Tijou,  198,  209. 
Gennitings,  defined,  151  n. 
Gerard,  John,  quoted,  129-130,  132,  135. 
Germany,  landscape  gardens  in,  276. 
Gestationes,  defined,  36. 
Girardin,  Marquis  de,  gardens  designed 

by,  270-273. 
Giustiniani,  on   Henry  VIII  as  a  tennis 

player,  120. 

Godalming,  gardens  near,  292. 
Gods,  trees  as  emblems  of,  41. 
Goldsmith,  Oliver,  on  Chinese  gardening, 

260. 
Grafting,  a   craft   understood   in   Middle 

Ages,  97. 

Grafton  Manor,  dove-cotes  at,  110. 
Grave  of  Byron's  dog,  Newstead  Abbey, 

62,  267. 
Great   Tangley  Manor,  water  garden  at, 

281. 
Greece,  the  source  of  every  new  form  of 

Roman  art,  5;  early  gardens  of,  12-14; 


later  gardens  of,  14—17;  information 
sought  from,  by  Euglish  in  Elizabethan 
period,  129. 

Greenhouses,  in   classic  gardens,  33;    in 
England   in  Stuart  period,  192.     See 
Orangery, 
regorovius,  quoted  concerning  Hadrian's 

villa,  43-44. 
Crete  Herbal,"  the,  108. 

Grille,  wrought-iron,  at  Drayton,  195. 

Groen,  J.  van  der,  "  Jardinier  Hollandais" 
of,  145. 

Grotto,  and  pergola  from  a  wall-painting 
at  Boscoreale,  32;  at  Wilton,  Eng- 
land, 163,  243. 

Grottoes  in  English  gardens,  254-256; 
Chinese,  260. 

Groves,  according  to  Le  Blond,  218-219. 

Gunnersbury,  Kent's  work  in  garden  at, 
268. 

H 

Haddon  Hall,  the  terrace  at,  141  ;  garden 
seat  at,  189. 

Hadrian,  villa  of,  at  Tivoli,  43-44. 

Ham  House,  enclosed  forecourt  at,  188, 
299;  brick  garden  walls  at,  188  ;  fore- 
court wall  at,  232. 

Hampton  Court,  royal  gardens  at,  105, 
106—107,  162 ;  banqueting  house  at, 
116;  Queen  Mary's  Walk  at,  117; 
the  mount  at,  118;  carved  beasts  at, 
118;  tennis  court  at,  120;  Henry 
VIII's  New  Orchard  at,  121  ;  Queen 
Elizabeth  at,  142-143,  161-162; 
water-works  device  at,  156;  exam- 
ples of  brick  walls  at,  187  ;  flower-pot 
gate-post  at,  187 ;  iron  gateways  at, 
1 88,  209;  fountain  at,  192;  altera- 
tions at,  designed  by  Le  Notre,  208- 
210  ;  sun-dial  at,  209. 

Hanging    gardens,    11—12;     in    ancient 

Rome,  19-20. 

Hanging  Gardens  of  Babylon,  1 1  ;  Pliny 
quoted  concerning,  17. 

Harewood,  terrace  at,  246. 

Harleston,  circular  dove-cote  at,  136. 

Harley-on-Thames,  stew-pond  at,  65. 

Harrison,  133-135. 

Hartlib,  167  ;  "Discourse  of  Husbandrie 
used  in  Brabant  and  Flanders "  by, 
171. 


INDEX 


Hasheesh,  origin  of  the  word,  73. 

Hassan,  Prince,  garden  of,  73-74. 

Hatfield,  a  pleached  alley  at,  117,  144; 
gardens  at,  136,  171-173;  pavilions 
at,  172. 

Hatton  Grange,  stew-pond  at,  65. 

Hedges,  for  enclosing  gardens,  88,  no, 
123-124,  140;  Le  Blond  quoted  con- 
cerning, 226-230  ;  in  modern  English 
gardens,  286. 

Helmingham,  moat  retained  at,  105 ; 
Queen  Elizabeth  at,  163. 

Helolse,  on  nuns  as  gardeners,  48. 

Henry  VIII,  dissolution  of  monasteries  by, 
65  ;  changes  in  Hampton  Court  gar- 
dens by,  106-107,  IJ8;  fondness  of, 
for  tennis,  120. 

Hentzner,  at  Oxford,  143  ;  on  gardens  at 
Nonesuch,  155—156,  162;  description 
of  Theobalds  by,  163. 

"  Herbal,"  Turner's,  108. 

Herbals  of  the  Tudor  period,  107-108,  < 
129. 

Herbaries,  early  English,  57. 

Herbs,  Anglo-Saxon,  296. 

Hermes,  from  the  "  Hypnerotomachia 
Poliphili,"  37  ;  and  fence  (initial  let- 
ter), 278. 

Hesperides,  gardens  of  the,  Pliny  quoted 
concerning,  17. 

Highlow  Hall,  doorway  at,  168. 

Hill,  Thomas,  109, 130;  "  Arte  of  Garden- 
ing" by,  129. 

Hinchinbrooke,  grounds  at,  212. 

Hippodrome,  Greek  derivation  of  the 
word,  18;  the  classic,  defined,  34-35. 

"  History  of  Domestic  Manners,"  Wright's, 
cited,  298. 

"  History  of  Life  and  Death,  The,"  152  n. 

Hoddesdon,  Gothic  dairy  at,  274. 

Holbein  pavilion  at  Wilton,  243,  244. 

Holborn  Hill,  market  gardens  on,  79-80. 

Holdenby  House,   ponds  in  grounds  of, 

'57- 

Holinshed,  Ralph,  133. 
Holland,  importations  into  England  from, 

1 68,  252,  254. 
Holland,  P.,  quotations  from  translation 

of  Pliny's  "Natural  History"  by,  10, 

19. 
Holme  Lacey,  the  garden  at,  attributed  to 


Le  Notre,  208 ;  Le  Notre's  influence 
apparent  at,  21 1. 

Horace,  revolt  of,  against  life  of  pseudo- 
urban  villas,  43. 

Horseley  Castle,  Syrian  daffodils  on  site 
of,  76. 

Horticulture,  under  the  Romans  in  Britain, 
2-3 ;  in  primitive  Italy  merely  intended 
for  practical  purposes,  5  ;  Benedictine, 
in  England,  45-47,  49-50 ;  Cistercian, 
in  England,  58—59 ;  under  Edward  I 
of  England,  78-80;  early  English 
works  on,  107—108,  129;  range  of, 
increased  by  discovery  of  America, 
132-133;  in  the  seventeenth  century 
in  England,  178-179;  Anglo-Saxon, 
295-298. 

"  Hortorum  Viridariorumque,"  Vrede- 
man's,  144. 

"  Hortus  Floridus,"  de  Passe's  engravings 
in,  145. 

House.      See  Dwelling. 

Humanists,  the,  233. 

"  Hundredth  Pointes  of  Good  Husbandrie, 
A,"  Tusser's,  109. 

Hunstanston,  the  moat  at,  105. 

"  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili,"  the,  27, 
233  ;  illustrations  from,  ix,  22,  26,  27, 
37,39,  115,234,  237. 

I 

Iford  Manor,  summer-house  at,  191. 
Images,  in    classic   Italian   gardens,  37; 

cut  in  evergreen  trees,  153-154. 
Impluvium,  the  Roman,  resemblance  of 

Christian  cloisters  to,  51-52. 
Ingestre,  house  and  grounds  at,  182. 
Isola  Bella,  Boboli  Gardens,  239. 
Italy,  horticulture  in  ancient,  5 ;   increase 

of  pleasure    gardens   in,   crowds   out 

other  gardens,  18;   information  sought 

from,    in    Elizabethan    period,     129; 

sixteenth-century    villa     gardens     of, 

234-240.     See  Rome. 
"Itinerary,"  Leland's,  quoted,  121. 

J 
James  I,  botanical  gardens  in  reign  of, 

168-169. 
James,  John,  translation   of  Le  Blond's 

work  by,  213. 


INDEX 


317 


James,  T.,  an  advocate  of  the  formal  gar- 
den, 281-282. 

"  Jardinier  Hollandais,"  Van  der  Groen's, 
145;  knots  from,  181. 

Jekyll,  Miss,  garden  of,  292. 

Jones,  Inigo,  entrance  gateways  designed 
by,  170;  summer-houses  designed  by, 
190;  urns  at  Wilton  designed  by,  243. 

Joret,  Charles,  quoted  concerning  monas- 
tic gardens  in  England,  50. 

June  eating,  an  apple,  151  n. 

Juniper,  employed  in  topiary  work,  41, 
153-154. 

Juvenal,  37. 

1C 

Kames,  Lord,  on  Kent's  methods,  256- 
258. 

Kant,  Immanuel,  on  gardening,  276. 

Kenilworth,  terraces  at,  142;  Queen 
Elizabeth  at,  163;  description  of  the 
garden  at,  164-166. 

Kent,  William,  256-258,  268. 

Kew,  old  orangery  at,  167;  iron  gateways 
at,  188, 197,  212;  temples  at,  267,  268, 
277;  naturalistic  methods  employed 
at,  281. 

King's  Weston,  forecourt  at,  136. 

Kitchen  garden,  ornamental  classic  Ro- 
man, 28;  monastic,  in  England,  49— 
50;  of  monastery  of  St.  Gall,  56; 
beautifying  of,  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time,  159;  at  Wimbledon,  173. 

Knossos,  the  traditional  labyrinth  in  pal- 
ace at,  42. 

Knot  and  a  maze,  a,  158. 

Knots  in  gardens,  113,  114,  124,  148, 149, 
163,  181. 

Kouyunjik,  marble  slabs  with  representa- 
tions of  paradeisoi  from,  10-11. 

Kratzer,  book  on  sun-dials  by,  118-119. 


"  La  Belle  Oriande,"  Maugis  and,  91. 

Labyrinth,  of  Crete,  suggestion  of,  in  a 
mosaic  pavement,  5;  from  a  Cretan 
coin,  42;  derivation  of  idea  of  the,  42; 
in  mediaeval  gardens,  72,  93-94;  in 
Tudor  gardens,  115;  in  Elizabethan 
gardens,  158;  at  Wimbledon,  175- 
176;  at  Versailles,  205,  206. 


Ladies'  Walk,  the,  in  Norman  castles,  70. 

"  Lai  d'Aristote,"  84. 

Landscape  garden,  the,  249-250;  popular- 
ity of,  in  Europe,  269-270,  275-277. 

Lang,  Andrew,  quotation  from  translation 
of  "Odyssey"  by,  13-14. 

La  Quintinie,  parterre  at  Versailles  de- 
signed by,  205;  work  of,  in  England, 
208;  English  translation  of  works  of, 

212. 

"L'Art  des  Jardins,"  Rial's,  quoted,  8, 
71-72,  200- 201. 

Lawson,  William,  "  A  New  Orchard  and 
Garden"  by,  131,  159—161;  on  garden 
mounts,  147;  on  flowers  for  Eliza- 
bethan gardens,  149-150;  on  topiary 
work,  154. 

Leasowes,  the  Sentimental  Farm  at,  267. 

Le  Blond,  A.,  "  The  Theory  and  Practice 
of  Gardening"  by,  quoted,  213-224, 
226-231. 

Le  Brun,  201,  202. 

Leeds  Castle,  bath-house  near,  75. 

Legendre,  English  translation  of  works 
of,  212. 

Le  Gentil,  Francois,  212. 

Leicester,  mosaic  pavement  found  near,  4. 

Leicester,  Earl  of,  garden  of,  at  Kenil- 
worth, 164-166. 

Leland,  John,  102;  quoted  concerning 
sixteenth-century  topiary  work,  121. 

Le  Notre,  159,  201;  influence  of,  on 
English  gardens,  170-171;  sketch  of 
career  of,  202;  style  of,  202-203; 
English  gardens  attributed  to,  208. 

"  Les  Delices  de  la  Grande  Bretagne," 
212. 

"  Les  Jardins,"  Abbe  de  Lille's,  270. 

"  Les  Plus  Beaux  Bastiments  de  France," 
du  Cerceau's,  98. 

Levens,  example  of  forecourt  at,  136,  188; 
topiary  work  in  gardens  at,  153;  as  an 
example  of  Elizabethan  planting,  166; 
enclosed  forecourt  at,  188;  bowling- 
green  at,  194;  sun-dial  at,  211  j  work 
of  French  gardeners  at,  211. 

"  Libellus  de  Re  Herbaria,"  Turner's,  108. 

Liger,  Louis,  212. 

Ligne,  Prince  de,  as  a  gardener,  270;  on 
the  Little  Trianon,  275. 

Ligorio,  Pierio,  235,  237. 


INDEX 


Lille,  Abbe  de,  praise  of  pictorial  side  of 

English  gardens  by,  270. 
Lily,  favourite  Anglo-Saxon  flower,  297. 
Lion  of  carved  stone,  129. 
Little  Trianon,  the,  264,  275. 
London,  Henry,  122,  208;  translations  by, 

of  French  works,  212. 
Longford  Castle,  statuary  at,  247,  248. 
Longleat,   the   garden  at,   I2I-I22,   139, 

212;   a  pavilion  at,  122. 
Loris,   Guillaume    de,    chief    author    of 

"  Romance  of  the  Rose,"  85. 
Lorraine,  Claude,  painting  of  temple  at 

Tivoli  by,  249,  269. 
Losely,  the  moat  at,  105. 
Louis  XIV  of  France,  influence  of,   on 

gardening,  199-202. 
Lucan,  villa  of,  sculpture  at,  37. 
Lycurgus,  axe  of,  in  design  of  a  mosaic 

pavement,  5. 
Lydgate,  John,  "  Chorle  and  the  Birde  " 

of,  81,  89. 
Lykeion,  park  in  the,  16. 

M 

Macer,  translation  of  herbal  of,  108. 

"Maison  Rustique,"  the,  quoted,  131, 
!37-l38;  list  of  flowers  for  Eliza- 
bethan gardens  from,  149—150. 

Mandelso,  mention  of  mount  at  Theo- 
balds by,  146. 

Mandeville,  Sir  John,  description  of  an 
Oriental  garden  by,  74-75. 

Mansart,  pavilions  at  Versailles  designed 
by,  206. 

Marais,  the,  at  Versailles,  205,  206. 

Marco  Polo,  description  of  Oriental  gar- 
den by,  73. 

Marfontaine,  monument  at,  273-274. 

Marie  Antoinette,  the  Little  Trianon  of, 
264,  275. 

Markham,  Gervase,  135,  167;  translation 
of  "  Maison  Rustique "  by,  quoted, 
131;  on  the  divisions  of  a  garden, 
137;  on  plan  of  Elizabethan  garden, 
138-139;  recommends  earthen  wall 
for  enclosing  gardens,  140;  on  width 
of  walks,  143;  description  of  Eliza- 
bethan arbours  by,  145 ;  on  knots,  148. 

Marly,  gardens  at,  200,  203. 

Marmier,  Xavier,  quoted,  276. 


Martial,  revolt  of,  against  life  of  pseudo- 
urban  villas,  43. 

Matius,  the  reputed  inventor  of  clipped 
evergreen  trees  and  shrubs,  39. 

Maugis  and  "  La  Belle  Oriande,"  91. 

Maupertin,  Coligny's  grave  at,  273. 

Mawson,  T.  W.,  282. 

May,  Hugh,  Pepys'  talk  with,  1 80. 

Maze,  the,  religious  significance  of,  94—95 ; 
in  gardens  of  Tudor  times,  115;  a  knot 
and  a,  158;  at  Wimbledon,  175-176. 
See  Labyrinth. 

Mede,  riie  flowery,  85-86,  90. 

Melbourne,  the  bird-cage  at,  175,  210; 
Cupids  at,  208,  231 ;  garden  in  French 
style  at,  210-211;  topiary  work  at, 
284. 

Melo-cotone,  defined,  151  n. 

Melville,  Lord,  received  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth in  Hampton  Court  garden,  162. 

Mereville,  cenotaph  to  Captain  Cook  at, 

273- 
"Migration   des  Symboles,"  d'Alviella's, 

quoted,  6. 

Milstrak,  island  of,  reputed  garden  on,  74. 
Milton,  dove-cotes  at,  110. 
Minotaur,  story  of  the,  reproduced  on  a 

mosaic  pavement,  5. 
Moats   for   enclosing   gardens,   89,    140; 

disuse  of,  104-105. 
Mollet,  Andre,  199. 
Monk  reading,  a,  45. 
Monks,  gardens  of  the,  45-66. 
Monreale,  fountain  in  cloisters  at,  52,  93. 
Montacute,  101;    location  of  garden  at, 

136;   example  of  balustrading  at,  140; 

garden-house  at,  146. 
Mordaunt,  Lord,  owner  of  Drayton,  196- 

197. 

Mordaunt,  Mary,  Baroness,  197. 
Morris,  William,  formal  garden  champi- 
oned by,  282. 
Mosaic,  domestic  pets  represented  on  a 

Pompeiian,  84. 

Mosaic  pavement  found  near  Leicester,  4. 
Mount,   the,   development   of,  in   Tudor 

period,  118;   in  Elizabethan  gardens, 

146-147. 

Mount  Morris,  forecourt  at,  136. 
Muntham,    reproduction    of    garden    in 

Elizabethan  style  at,  289. 


INDEX 


319 


Musea,  defined,  32. 

Museum.      See   British    Museum,   Cluny 
Museum,  South  Kensington  Museum. 

N 

"  Names  of  Herbes,"  Turner's,  108. 
Narcissus  at  a  fountain  ("  Roman  de  la 

Rose  "),  56. 
"Natural  History,"    Pliny's,   quoted,   10, 

19;  flowers  specially  mentioned  in,  41. 
Neckam,  Alexander,  on  gardens,  108. 
New  College  garden,  Oxford,  sun-dial  in, 

193- 
New  Orchard,  Henry  VIII's,  at  Hampton 

Court,  121. 

"  New  Orchard   and   Garden,  A,"   Law- 
son's,  131. 
Newstead  Abbey,  description  of,  61-65; 

Byron's  dog's  grave  at,  62, 267 ;  statues 

at,  64,  65. 
Nightingales,  Lawson  quoted  concerning, 

161. 
Nonesuch,   royal    garden   at,    106,    162 ; 

water-works  devices  at,  155. 
Normans,  effect  of  advent  of,  in  England, 

57-58.  66. 

Norton  Conyers,  bowling-green  at,  194. 
Nuneham,  specimen  of  Brown's  work  in 

gardens  at,  268. 

Nun  Moncton,  garden-house  at,  191. 
Nuns,  gardens  made  by,  47-48. 

O 
Obelisks  in   English  seventeenth-century 

gardens,  192—193. 
"  Observations  on  Landscape  Gardening," 

Repton's,  259. 
"  Odyssey,"  description  in,  of  garden  of 

Alcinous,  13-14. 

"  Of  Agriculture,"  Varro's,  quoted,  32-33. 
Old    Man  of  the  Mountain,  the  (Prince 

Hassan),  73. 

Old  Place,  Lingfield,  sun-dial  at,  288,  289. 
"On   Gardens,"    Bacon's    essay,    quoted, 

156;   account  of  wilderness  in,   158- 

159- 
Orangery,  the,  at  Longleat,  126;  the  old, 

at  Kew,  167;  at  Wimbledon,  192;  at 

Drayton,  196;  at  Versailles,  204-205; 

at  Wilton,  245. 
Orchard,  at  Clairvaux,  59-60;    at  New- 


stead,  64 ;  identity  of  garden  and,  in 
Middle  Ages,  67,  96-97 ;  in  Tudor 
period,  121  ;  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time,  159-161;  at  Swallowfield,  195; 
derivation  of  the  word,  297. 

"  Orchard  and  Garden,"  Lawson's,  quoted, 
159-161. 

Orchards,  The,  garden-house  and  wall  at, 
278;  garden  at,  292. 

Ornaments,  garden,  in  Elizabethan  times, 
157;  in  late  seventeenth  century,  192- 

193- 

"  Ortus  Sanitatus,"  the,  107. 

Oundle,  doorway  at,  141. 

Oxford,  sun-dials  at,  119,  193;  walks  at, 
143;  botanical  garden  at,  170;  artifi- 
cial bog  at,  280. 

Oxford,  Earl  of,  Sidney's  quarrel  with, 
158. 


Packwood,  gateway  at,  131,  187,  188; 
garden-houses  at,  145,  146,  193,  194; 
topiary  work  at,  146,  153-154;  sun- 
dial at,  191. 

Paintings,  mural,  of  Egypt,  8-9. 

Palazzio  Vecchio,  Florence,  fountain  at, 
233. 

Palestine,  idea  of  bath-houses  imported 
into  England  from,  75. 

Palisades  for  enclosing  gardens,  188. 

Paradeisoi,  the  Grecian,  10. 

Paradise,  the  Oriental,  10-12;  of  Sardis, 
12;  in  monastic  cloisters,  54;  of  the 
Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,  73-74. 

Pare  Monceau,  rusticity  at,  274-275. 

Parkinson,  John,  "Theatrum  Botanicum" 
of,  169,  171. 

Parnassus  Mount  at  Whitehall,  146. 

Parterre,  design  for  a,  xi ;  geometric  pat- 
tern for  a,  27 ;  geometric  patterns  of, 
at  Battle  Abbey  gardens,  58 ;  at  New- 
stead  Abbey,  62;  in  Tudor  gardens, 
124—125;  in  Elizabethan  gardens,  153- 
157;  according  to  Le  Blond,  217-218; 
French  fashions  in,  224-225.  See 
Xystus. 

Passe,  Crispin  de,  engravings  by,  145. 

"  Pastime  of  Pleasure,"  Hawes',  84,  89. 

Pater,  Walter,  quotation  from  translation 
of  Theocritus  by,  16-17. 


320 


INDEX 


Pattern   for  a  parterre,  from  the  "  Hyp- 

nerotomachia  Poliphili,"  22. 
Patterns  for  knots,  114. 
Pavilion,  and   fountain,  26;    at  Longleat, 

122;     of  Venetian   garden,  233;    the 

Holbein,  at  Wilton,  243;     at  Barrow 

Court,  291. 
Pavilions,  at  Hatfield,  172;   of  the  Stuart 

period,  190-191 ;   in  Chinese  gardens, 

264. 
Peaches,  first  mention  of,  in  England,  79; 

imported  into  England  from  abroad, 

97- 

Peacocks,  in  gardens,  34,  72;  as  watch- 
dogs, 109-110. 

Peele,  George,  recitation  of  masque  written 
by,  163. 

Pekin,  imperial  gardens  at,  260-261. 

Penshurst,  Diana's  Pool  at,  99,  156;  gar- 
den gates  at,  130;  leaden  urn  at,  207; 
sun-dial  at,  288. 

Pepys,  Samuel,  quoted  concerning  gar- 
dens, 1 80. 

Percier  and  Fontaine,  236,  237. 

Pergola,  grotto  and,  from  a  wall-painting 
at  Boscoreale,  32;  rosary  with,  at 
Castle  Ashby,  246;  rustic,  at  Castle 
Ashby,  247;  at  Longford  Castle,  248. 

Peristyle,  the,  in  Greek  and  Roman 
houses,  14,  20-21,  25;  Greek  deriva- 
tion of  the  word,  18;  resemblance  of 
cloister-garth  to,  51. 

Persea  fruit  defined,  9  n. 

Persia,  gardens  of,  9-12. 

Petit  Trianon,  the,  264,  275. 

Pets,  domestic,  from  a  Pompeiian  mo- 
saic, 34;  mediaeval,  90. 

Philosophers,  gardens  of  Greek,  15-16; 
"  thinking-places  "  for  Roman,  32. 

"Philosophical  Transactions,"  the,  167. 

"  Picciola,"  the  Italian  story,  70. 

Piccolomini,  tineas  Silvias,  233. 

"Piers  Plowman,"  quoted,  88. 

Pisa,  fourteenth-century  frescoes  at,  54. 

Pitti  Palace,  Boboli  Gardens  at,  239. 

Plan  of  garden  from  Worlidge's  "  Systema 
Horticulture,"  185. 

Plant,  a  potted,  101. 

Plants,  of  Tudor  gardens,  113-114;  Ba- 
con's list  of,  150-153  ;  Anglo-Saxon, 
296-297.  See  Flowers. 


Plato,  garden  of,  15. 

Platt,  Sir  Hugh,  "  Floraes  Paradise  "  of, 
131;  quoted,  148;  suggestion  for 
fanciful  ornament  by,  157. 

Pleasaunce,  garland-makers  in  a,  66;  de- 
velopment of,  from  the  terrace  walk, 

7'- 

Pliny  (the  Elder),  quoted  concerning 
Syrians  as  gardeners,  10;  concerning 
garden  of  Epicurus  at  Athens,  15; 
concerning  ancient  admiration  for  gar- 
dens, 17;  on  prevalence  of  ornamental 
vegetation  in  Rome,  19;  flowers  men- 
tioned by,  on  account  of  curative 
properties,  41. 

Pliny  (the  Younger),  Tusculan  villa  of, 
22-24;  descriptions  by,  of  various 
features  of  his  villa,  29-31,  35-36. 

Poitiers,  nunnery  garden  at,  47. 

Pompeii,  table  from,  20;  a  fountain  at, 
24;  pseudo-urban  villas  at,  24-25; 
a  bust  from,  25 ;  exedra  from  street 
of  the  Tombs  at,  32 ;  fountains  at, 
38;  labyrinth  sketched  on  a  wall  at,  42. 

Pond,  an  Egyptian,  8;  the  Eagle,  at  New- 
stead  Abbey,  61,  62;  in  North  Gar- 
den, Barrow  Court,  290.  See  Fish- 
ponds. 

Pond  Garden  at  Hampton  Court,  105, 
106,  112. 

Pope,  Alexander,  grotto  built  by,  255- 
256. 

Posterns  for  gardens,  iio-m,  174. 

Priapus,  images  of,  in  classic  Italian  gar- 
dens, 37-38. 

Privy  Garden  at  Hatfield,  171. 

"Profils  et  ornements,"  etc.,  Blondel's, 
207. 

"  Profitable  Arte  of  Gardening,"  Hill's, 
109. 

Provence,  the  rose  of,  76. 


Quarters,  of  a  knot,  113;  in  the  plan  of 
Tudor  gardens,  114,  124;  in  Eliza- 
bethan gardens,  147-148. 

Queen  Mary's  Walk,  Hampton  Court,  117. 

Quince,  an  Elizabethan  variety  of,  151  n. 

Quincunx  du  Midi,  the,  205. 

Quintilian,  quoted  concerning  ornamental 
kitchen  gardens,  28. 


INDEX 


321 


Rabbits  in  gardens,  148. 

Raphael,  Villa  Madama  designed  by,  234, 
235-236. 

Rapinus,  quoted,  193. 

Rea,  John,  171;  protest  of,  against  ban- 
ishment of  flowers  from  Stuart  gar- 
dens, 180-182;  "Flora,  Ceres,  and 
Pomona  "  of,  182;  on  walls  for  enclos- 
ing gardens,  187;  recommendation  of, 
on  garden-houses,  191. 

"  Records  of  the  Past,"  extract  from  se- 
lection in,  9. 

Relics,  Britanno-Roman,  3-5. 

Repton,  Humphry,  258-259,  268,  269. 

"  Retired  Gardner,  The,"  Liger's,  212. 

Riat,  Georges,  quoted,  8,  71-72,  200-201. 

Richmond  Court,  gardens  at,  178;  grotto 
at,  254. 

Risley,  garden  doorway  at,  111. 

Robinson,  William,  advocate  of  the  wild 
garden,  279-280. 

Rock  garden,  the,  280. 

"  Romance  of  Alexander,"  a  garden  with 
chess-players  from  the,  82. 

"Romance  of  Garin,"  quoted,  8l,  83. 

"  Romance  of  the  Rose,"  light  on  mediae- 
val gardens  shed  by,  85—86 ;  enclosure 
of  trelliswork  from  the,  90;  birds  men- 
tioned in,  95—96. 

Romano,  Giulio,  236. 

Romanticism  in  gardening,  249,  266-274. 

Rome,  gardens  of  classic,  17;  sun-dial 
brought  from  Sicily  used  in,  18.  See 
Villa. 

Rosamond's  bower,  94. 

Rosary,  the,  Ashbridge,  269;  with  per- 
gola, at  Castle  Ashby,  246,  247. 

Rose,  the  Rhodian,  41 ;  high  esteem  for,  in 
mediaeval  church,  46;  eighth-century 
reappearance  of,  75-76. 

Rose,  John,  royal  gardener,  208. 

Rosemary,  use  of,  in  topiary  work,  in  an- 
cient Italy,  41. 

"  Roseto,"  St.  Benedict's,  46. 

Rousham,  gardens  at,  268. 

Rousseau,  J.  J.,  quoted  concerning  a  false 
taste  for  grandeur,  251-252;  an  ad- 
mirer of  English  landscape  garden, 
269;  grave  of,  270-271,  272. 

Rushton,  garden-house  at,  146. 


Russia,  English  landscape  gardens  in,  276. 
Rustic  enclosure,  classic  picture  of  a,  28. 


St.  Augustine,  new  era  in  Britain  marked 

by  coming  of,  45-47. 
St.  Benedict,  the  "  roseto  "  of,  46. 
St.    Bernard,     monastery     of    Clairvaux 

founded  by,  58-59. 
St.  Bruno,  originator  of  Carthusian  order, 

60. 
St.  Catherine's  Court,  location  of  gardens 

at,    136;     garden    terraces    at,    139; 

walks  at,  143. 

St.  Cloud,  gardens  at,  200,  203. 
St.  Gall,  monastery  of,  55-57. 
St.  James's  Park,  designed  by  Le  Notre, 

208. 

St.    Radegonde,    nunnery    garden    con- 
structed by,  47. 
"Salle  de  Bal,"  the,  at  Versailles,  205, 

207. 

Sandwell,  example  of  forecourt  at,  136. 
Sans  Souci,  gardens  at,  276. 
Sculpture,  use  of,  in  classic  gardens,  37. 
Seat,  arbour,  and  gallery,  92;   trees  and, 

at  Wilton,  241 ;   stone,  at  Shrublands, 

245;   of  Italian  design,  at  Shrublands, 

293. 
Seats,  in  Stuart  gardens,  190;  at  Haddon 

Hall    and    Canon    Ashby,   189.     See 

Exedra. 

Sedding,  John,  277,  282. 
Sedgwick  Park  garden,  289-290. 
Seneca,  quoted  concerning  hanging  gar- 
dens in  Rome,  19-20. 
Sentimental  Farm,  Shenstone's,  267. 
Serapis,  copy  of  temple  of,  at  Hadrian's 

villa,  44. 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the,  in   topiary 

work,  146,  153-154. 
"Seven    Sages,   The,"   Weber's,  quoted, 

77-78. 
Severn  End,  two-story  garden-house  at, 

192. 
Shenstone,       William,       "  Unconnected 

Thoughts  on  Gardening  "  by,  266-267. 
Shrub  in  ornamented  box,  237. 
Shrublands,  chestnut  trees  at,  65 ;  terrace 

steps  at,  140;   covered  walk  at,  143, 

144;    sun-dial   at,   157;    gateway  at, 


322 


INDEX 


239;  vase  at,  244;  stone  seat  at,  245; 
Italian  garden  at,  245-246;  doorway 
at,  277;  seat  of  Italian  design  at,  293. 

Shrubs  in  modern  English  gardens,  285. 

Side-door  to  a  garden,  174. 

Sidney,  Sir  Philip,  128,  158;  description 
of  fish-pond  by,  156-157. 

Silvestre,  Israel,  engraving  by,  206. 

"  Solitary  or  Carthusian  Gardener,  The," 
Le  Gentil's,  212. 

South  Kensington  Museum,  fountain  de- 
picted in  tapestry  at,  93. 

Sphere,  an  armillary,  119. 

Stafford,  Edward,  residence  of,  103. 

"Staffordshire,"  Plot's,  182. 

Statuary,  in  classic  Roman  gardens,  37- 
38 ;  in  Elizabethan  gardens,  Bacon's 
opinion  of,  157;  in  English  seven- 
teenth-century gardens,  192-193 ; 
at  Versailles,  207;  Le  Blond  on, 
230-231;  at  Longford  Castle,  247; 
in  modern  English  gardens,  288. 

Statues,  leaden,  at  Newstead  Abbey,  64, 
65;  at  Canons  Ash  by,  182. 

Steps,  stone,  at  Drayton,  196. 

Stowe,  gardens  at,  268. 

Strabo,  dimensions  of  terraces  in  Hang- 
ing Gardens  of  Babylon  given  by,  1 1. 

Subiaco,  St.  Benedict's  "  roseto  "  at,  46. 

Sudeley  Castle,  gardens  at,  100. 

Sun-dial,  a  classic,  17;  at  Whitehall, 
155;  at  Shrublands,  157;  at  Drayton, 
170,  197;  at  Packwood,  191;  at 
Brympton,  197;  at  Hampton  Court, 
209;  at  Levens,  211;  an  eighteenth- 
century,  250;  at  Penshurst,  288;  at 
Old  Place,  Lingfield,  288. 

Sun-dials,  stone,  at  Pompeii,  25 ;  illustra- 
tions of,  157,  167;  English  interest  in 
(sixteenth  century),  118-119;  at  Ox- 
ford, 119,  193. 

Sun-traps  at  Barrow  Court,  291. 

Surflet,  translation  of  "  Maison  Rustique  " 
by,  quoted,  137-138. 

Surprise  fountains,  155-156. 

Surveys,  Parliamentary,  173,  191. 

Sutton  Court,  grotto  at,  254. 

Swallowfield,  Evelyn's  description  of  gar- 
dens at,  195-196. 

Swanopston  Hall,  examples  of  posterns 
for  gardens  at,  in. 


Symmetry  in  gardens,  abuse  of,  250-252. 

Syracuse,  hanging  gardens  at,  12. 

"  Systema  Horticulture  or  Art  of  Garden- 
ing," Worlidge's,  182;  plan  of  garden 
from,  185. 

T 

Table,  a  Pompeiian,  20. 

Tacitus,  on  horticulture  in  Great  Britain,  3. 

"Tale  of  the  Garden  of  Flowers,  The," 
extract  from,  9. 

Tapestries,  in  Cluny  Museum,  75,  90;  at 
South  Kensington  Museum,  93. 

Tattershall,  castle  of,  77. 

Tel-el- Amarna,  engraving  on  the  tomb  of, 
7-8. 

Temple,  Sir  William,  quoted  concerning 
the  Oriental  Paradise,  10. 

Temple  of  ^olus  at  Kew,  267. 

Temple  of  the  Sun,  Kew,  268. 

Temple  at  Tivoli,  Lorraine's  painting  of, 
249. 

Temples,  garden,  268,  269,  270,  277. 

Tennis  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  158. 
See  Games. 

Tennis-courts,  modern  English,  287. 

Tents,  idea  of,  as  accessories  to  gardens, 
due  to  Crusaders,  75. 

Terrace,  and  bowling-green,  at  Bramshill, 
141;  relation  between  garden  and, 
142;  at  Brympton,  179;  at  Bowood, 
246;  at  Harewood,  246;  gateway  and, 
at  Barrow  Court,  291. 

Terrace  architecture,  modern  English, 
283-284. 

Terraces,  of  Hanging  Gardens  of  Baby- 
lon, 1 1 ;  of  Anglo-Norman  castles,  70- 
71;  at  St.  Catherine's  Court,  139;  in 
connection  with  Elizabethan  houses, 
141-142;  at  Hatfield,  172;  seven- 
teenth-century, at  Brympton  and 
Annesley,  179,  197;  Le  Blond's 
theory  of,  223-224. 

Terrace  steps,  Shrublands,  140. 

Terrace  walks,  70-71,  283. 

Tessala,  in  mosaic  pavements,  4. 

Theatre  d'Eau,  the,  at  Versailles,  205, 
206-207. 

"Theatrum  Botanicum,"  Parkinson's,  169. 

Thebes,  hanging  gardens  at,  12. 

Theobalds,  Hentzner's  description  of, 
163-164;  exchanged  by  Earl  of  Salis- 


INDEX 


323 


bury  for  Hatfield,  172;  gardens  at, 
177-178. 

Theocritus,  idyllic  description  of  a  Grecian 
garden  by,  16-17. 

Theophrastus,  garden  of,  at  Athens,  15-16. 

"Theory  and  Practice  of  Gardening,  The," 
Le  Blond's,  213;  quoted,  213-214, 
226-231. 

Theseus,  story  of,  reproduced  on  a  mosaic 
pavement,  5. 

Thibaut  IV,  Count,  rose  of  Provence  in- 
troduced to  Europe  by,  76. 

Thomas,  F.  Inigo,  282;  work  of,  at  Bar- 
row Court,  290-291. 

Thornbury,  residence  of  Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham at,  103-104. 

Thorn ey  Abbey,  description  of,  50-51. 


U 
"Unconnected  Thoughts  on  Gardening,' 

Shenstone's,  266-267. 
Urn,  a  leaden,  at  Penshurst,  207. 
Urns  by  Inigo  Jones,  at  Wilton,  243. 


Vanbrugh,  Sir  John,  work  of,  in  gardens 

at  Stowe,  268. 

Varro,  M.  T.,  17,  32-33,  167. 
Vase,  garland-weavers  from  a  Greek,  14; 

(initial  letter),  198;    at  Wilton,  241; 

at  Shrublands,  244;    at  Castle  Ashby, 

246;  at  Longford  Castle,  248;  a  classic, 

at  Elvaston,  252. 
Vases,  at  Versailles,  207;    Le  Blond  on, 

231. 


Thorpe,  John,  Hatfield  House  built  by,  I  Venantius  Fortunatus  at  the  Poitiers  nun- 


171;     Elizabethan   wing   at    Dray  ton 

attributed  to,  196. 
Tijou,  gates  by,  198;   at  Hampton  Court, 

209. 

Tissington,  example  of  posterns  for  gar- 
dens at,  in. 
Tivoli,  Hadrian's  villa  at,  24,  43-44;   the 

Villa   d'Este    at,    235,   237-238;     the 

temple  at,  249,  269. 

Tombs  in  gardens,  267,  270—271,  273—274. 
Topiarius,  the,  in  classic  Roman  villas,  39. 
Tower  of  London,  royal  gardens  at,  79, 

106. 

Towns,  mimic,  of  the  Chinese,  265. 
Tradescants,  the,  distinguished  botanists, 

169. 
"  Travels,"  Sir  John  Mandeville's,  quoted, 

74-75- 
Trees,  clipped,  39,  93,  115;   as  emblems 

of  gods,  41 ;   and  seat,  at  Wilton,  240. 
Tree  worship,  6,  14-15,  34,  37. 
Trelliswork,  enclosure  of,  90;    in  Tudor 

gardens,  105,  115-116. 
Trentham,  Brown's  work  shown  in  gardens 

at,  268. 

Tribolo,  gardens  designed  by,  239. 
Triclinii  in  classic  Roman  villas,  31. 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  fountain,  155. 
Turner,  William,  herbals  by,  108. 
Tusser,  Thomas,  work  on  gardening  by, 

109;   quoted,  121. 

Twelve  Apostles  in  topiary  work,  153, 154. 
Twickenham,  Pope's  grotto  at,  255-256. 


nery,  47. 

Verrochio,  a  fountain  by,  233. 

Versailles,  gardens  at,  200;  detailed  de- 
scription, 203-207. 

Vettii,  house  of  the,  at  Pompeii,  25-26. 

"Views,"  Badeslade's,  212. 

Vignola,  villas  designed  by,  234-235,  238— 
239- 

Villa,  the  younger  Pliny's  Tusculan,  22-24; 
ideas  adopted  from,  in  Villa  Madama, 
236. 

Villa  Albani,  ideas  from,  at  Castle  Ashby, 
246-247. 

Villa  d'Este,  the,  235,  237;  ideas  adopted 
from,  at  Shrublands,  245. 

Villa  of  Diomedes  near  Pompeii,  26-27. 

Villa  Farnese,  caryatides  at,  238. 

Villa  of  Hadrian  at  Tivoli,  24,  43-44. 

Villa  Lante,  the,  234,  238-239. 

Villa  Livia,  wall  decoration  at  the,  29. 

Villa  Madama,  designed  by  Raphael,  234, 
235—236;  doorway  at,  235. 

Villa  Pamphili-Doria,  the,  235,  240. 

Villages,  miniature,  265,  275. 

Villas,  Roman,  21-29;  fragments  of,  in- 
corporated into  monasteries,  47;  Gallo- 
Roman,  66;  sixteenth-century  Italian, 
234-240. 

"  Villas  pres  de  Rome,"  Percier  and  Fon- 
taine's, 236,  237. 

Vines  in  modern  English  gardens,  286. 

Vinet,  139. 

Violets,  Armenian,  in  England,  76. 


324 


INDEX 


Vicllet  le  Due,  description  by,  of  eleventh- 
century  religious  development,  48-49; 
quoted  concerning  Western  cloisters 
and  the  Roman  impluvium,  51-52. 

Virgil,  17,  152  n.,  271. 
Viridarium,  the,  in  Roman  houses,  20. 

Vitruvius,  18,  24,  26. 

"  Vitruvius  Britannicus,"  gardens  in  French 
style  shown  in,  212. 

Vredeman  de  Vries,  J.,  garden  court  de- 
signed by,  128;  garden  designed  by, 
144;  "  Hortorum  Viridariorumque " 
of,  144. 

W 

Walk,  a  covered,  at  Shrublands,  143,  144. 

Walks,  mediaeval  terrace,  70-71;  in 
Elizabethan  gardens,  142-143;  in 
Stuart  gardens,  188-189;  Le  Blond's 
advice  on,  219;  French  fashions  in, 
225-226;  in  modern  gardens,  283. 

Wall  at  The  Orchards,  278. 

Walls  for  enclosing  gardens,  88,  no,  140, 
186-188. 

Wai  pole,  Horace,  197,  256. 

Wanstead,  royal  gardens  at,  106. 

Wardens,  a  kind  of  pear,  151  n. 

Water- works,  classic  Italian,  38;  in  med- 
iaeval gardens,  93-94;  in  Tudor  Gar- 
dens, 119;  fanciful  devices  in,  in 
Elizabethan  gardens,  155-156;  in  gar- 
den? of  Stuart  period,  193-194  ;  at  Ver- 
sailles, 206-207;  at  Bramham,  210;  at 
Villa  d'Este,  237;  in  modern  Italian 
villa  gardens,  238-239.  See  Fountains. 

Weber,  "  The  Seven  Sages  "  of,  77-78. 

Well,  a  Gothic,  54;  in  the  Certosa,  Flor- 
ence, 55. 

Wells,  monastic,  54-55. 

Westminster,  royal  gardens  at,  79,  106. 

Whitehall,  royal  gardens  at,  106,  162; 
pavilion  in  old  gardens  at,  146;  the 
mount  at,  146-147  ;  water-works  con- 
trivance at,  155-156. 

Wilderness,  the,  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time,i58-i59;  at  Wimbledon,  175-176. 

William  of  Malmesbury,  description  of 
Thorney  Abbey  by,  50-51. 

William  the  Conqueror,  abbeys  founded 
by,  in  England,  49,  57-58. 

WTilton,  Queen  Elizabeth  at,  1 63 ;  descrip- 
tion of  old  Italian  gardens  at,  240-243; 


present  grounds  at,  243-245;  the 
grotto  at,  254. 

Wimbledon,  gardens,  173;  orangery,  192. 

Windsor,  banqueting  house  at,  116;  royal 
gardens  at,  162. 

Wirtemberg,  Duke  of,  at  Hampton  Court, 
156,  162. 

Wise,  Henry,  122;  gardens  at  Melbourne 
laid  out  by,  210-211;  translations  by, 
of  French  works,  212. 

Witkendus,  an  authority  on  sun-dials,  119. 

Wollaton,  grounds  at,  212. 

Wolsey,  Cardinal,  gardens  of,  105. 

Woodstock,  Queen  Eleanor's  pleasaunce 
at,  82;  Rosamond's  bower  at,  94. 

Worcester,  Bishop  of,  quoted,  63. 

Worlidge,  John,  171;  on  fountains,  126- 
127;  quoted  concerning  seventeenth- 
century  gardens,  178-179;  "  Systema 
Horticulturae,  or  Art  of  Gardening  "  of, 
182;  on  form  of  gardens,  183-186; 
plan  by,  185;  method  of  making  walks 
recommended  by,  189;  on  garden 
seats,  190. 

Wotton,  Sir  Henry,  quoted  on  relation 
between  garden  and  terrace,  142. 

Wren,  Sir  Christopher,  summer-houses 
designed  by,  190. 

Wreshill  Castle,  the  orchard  at,  121. 

Wrest  Park,  gardens  at,  21 1. 

Wright,  Thomas,  "  History  of  Domestic 
Manners  "  of,  cited,  298. 


Xenophon,  quoted  concerning  the  Para- 
dise of  Sardis,  12. 

Xystus,  difference  between  Greek  and 
Roman  meaning  of,  18;  good  example 
of,  in  Pompeiian  house  of  the  Vettii, 
25 ;  use  of  ornamental  designs  for,  40. 


Yew,  lightly  esteemed  in  ancient  Italy, 
41;  hedges  of,  88,  124,  125;  coronet 
of  clipped,  116;  buttress  of  clipped, 
at  Arley,  154;  archway  of,  at  Brocken- 
hurst,  287;  for  elaborate  topiary  work, 
284-285. 

York  Place,  royal  gardens  at,  106. 

Young,  Arthur,  description  of  Ermenon- 
ville  by,  272-273. 


WORKS  BY  MRS.  ALICE  MORSE  EARLE 


HOME  LIFE  IN  COLONIAL  DAYS 

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"  A  treatise  which  will  be  welcomed  by  all  lovers  of  gardens  and 
of  literature  ...  for  the  scholarly  fragrance  distilled  by  every  chapter 
of  a  volume  that  may  be  worthily  enshrined  among  the  classics  of  gar- 
dening literature."  —  GEORGE  H.  ELLWANGER  in  the  Book  Buyer. 


SUN=DIALS  AND  ROSES  OF  YESTERDAY 

Garden  delights  which  are  here  displayed  in  very  truth  and 
are  moreover  regarded  as  emblems.     Profusely  illustrated. 
8vo.     Cloth.     $2.00,  net 


THE    MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

66  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 


990  f 


